Posted by Richard Chilee
In 2010, when the 49-year-old, former Zamfara State governor turned senator, Ahmed Yerima, married the 13 year old Egyptian girl at the central mosque, Abuja, it caused widespread uproar among human rights activists, women’s group, medical practitioners and the political environment in Nigeria. As a result of the storm, the Senate ordered an investigation into the case and promised to give fair hearing to the matter. But after three years and countless interventions and pressure from a heinous Islamic sect, the Senate is gradually yielding to the persuasions to pass a law that supports the forceful marriage of the under-age girl child in Nigeria.

In 2010, two months close to the completion of my one year compulsory NYSC programme in Bebeji, Kano State, a Muslim friend, whose child I had mentored and helped transform into a more responsible young man, became excessively happy and showered me with gifts. Part of the many gifts I received from this friend and others from the community was a beautiful, 12 years old, Aminat. I humbly accepted the other gifts but sternly and cautiously rejected the proposal of marrying Aminat, a child I had never previously met. Even though the proposal came with the condition that I would convert into a Muslim, it was a startling revelation.

“How on earth would I marry little Aminat?” They smiled heartily, amidst cups of Shai and hot, freshly prepared Suya, and told me that that was their special way of showing gratitude for what I had done; and they believed I would make a good and responsible husband since I was rich and educated. This preposterous experience made me embark on a two month campaign on the disadvantages of early girl child marriage. But all my hassles fell on deaf ears. The poor, old and illiterate Muslims would not listen to a naive Youth Corps Member. The village young men later told me to mind my business, which I quietly did.

My clamour for the sensitisation of the disadvantages of the early marriage of the girl child exposed me to three major reasons the Muslims indulge in such heinous act of child exploitation.

One of the reasons the Muslims indulge in the early marriage of the girl child is religion. Most of them believe that a woman is to be married when she comes to maturity. For many Muslims, this maturity comes to fruition when a young woman experiences her menarche. Age in this context does not matter. In fact, they hold that the moment a lady marries, she is of age. But the bigger question is this ‘what age?’

Another reason many Muslims engage in this early marriage of the girl child is poverty. Material poverty has eaten so deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society that every family is looking for means to survive, however crazy those means are. Many Muslims see their girl child as a prize which must be sold to the highest bidder; particularly if she is beautiful. Believe me, you will never find any wealthy Muslim that will agree to give out his/her child at age 13; they would rather allow that child to come to an adequate age before marriage is considered.

And these wealthy ones are in the habit of using this poverty as a means to exploit the poor ones in their midst.

The final reason Muslims indulge in this early child marriage is illiteracy. In the north, majority of the population are illiterate. They don’t have the basic education that prepares them to deal the challenges of everyday life. The basic part of their education is based on the Koran which is also instituted on their religion; a religion which permits a Muslim to marry as many as he could cater for. The educated ones do not indulge in this heinous practice; instead, they will also allow their girl child to become mentally and physically prepared for marriage before they marry. Only the poor and illiterates are allowed to wallow in ignorance.

Our major impediments to the development of Nigeria are our politics and religion. It is sad that these same politics and religion are beginning to affect the live of the innocent girl child. Every girl child has a right to good health care, security of live, education, etc; and a society that fails to protect those rights of the girl child has failed. On the path to modernisation and industrialisation, we must fight to abolish those traditions and part of religions that do not fit in today’s world by making laws that protects the fundamental rights of everyone, including the girl child.

The Nigerian constitution is a secular document that must be superior and govern the activities of every Nigerian; it must also supersede all laws in Nigeria, irrespective of religion and ethnicity. People must stop hiding under the umbrella of religious and ethnic laws to carry out different kinds of despicable activities. No sane society can uphold justice when it creates laws for different people. Nigeria will keep experiencing child molestation when different kinds of laws are created for Muslims and another one for Christians.

If Malala was married off at age 10, we wouldn’t have heard about her great potentials. She wouldn’t have stunned the world with her beautiful speech at the UN on her 16th birthday. Maybe she would have been used, exploited, divorced and resigned to her fate or she would have been saddled with the responsibility of taking care of babies and a man, old enough to be her father. I believe there are many Malalas calling to the Nigerian and world governments to come and redeem them from the hostages they have been taken.

The girl child needs a good life, sound education and above all, freedom to choose whoever she wants to spend her life with at an adequate age. Train a child today, and you train a nation tomorrow.

http://telegraphng.com/2013/07/politics-with-the-rights-of-the-girl-child/

Muslim elements in Nigeria are increasingly becoming bolder in their push for assimilation of their value systems by everyone under the sphere of their influence. The same Yerima started the infamous Sharia that undoubtedly became the "green-light" for the emergence fundamentalist muslim sects like boko haram and JAMBS, and, perhaps with more to come. Only a strong-willed leadership can help to define the boundaries and fix every individual and groups in their proper positions.