SENATOR AHMED.S. YERIMA
SHOULD'VE FIND SOLUTION TO THE
POVERTY WHICH IS THE MAJORS
PROBLEM IN NIGERIA INSTEAD OF
THIS UNPROFITABLE LAW. Early
marriage is a fundamental factor
of child abuse, these children
who are laboured about in our
communities are our children.
They are the leaders of
tommorrow as aged ones are
dying up the younger ones
replace them. They are our future
hope and pillars, without which
the future may look bleak in
terms of development, because
all these law exhibiting children
grow up to become useless in the
society within which they live,
hence set back in the society.
This issue of early marriage is
more common in the northern
part of Nigeria where the
children are being denied their
rights including the right to
western education. As the case
may be, these children turn out
to be loosers in whatever
perspective because some of
them may not concentrate to
learn even the spiritual
knowledge they are sent for
talkless of the western
education. They are automatically
denied. Usually some family gave
out their daughters when there
is high striking poverty line in his
family to take care of her
essential needs such as
sustenance. Some daughter are
forced to early marriage simply
when they lose their parents and
when their relatives or guardians
cannot keep them. A child is
usually taken away from her
parents, her relatives, and her
home to some remote areas for
the purpose. At the end of the
day after 8 to 10yrs in marriage
the child will be divorce and her
future will be ruin. This exercise
is prevailing in the northern part
of Nigeria as the Hausa/Fulani are
predominantly Moslems and
settlers of the north. Social
psychologists also noted that
when a child is exposed to labour
called early marriage at a tender
age and deprived with little or no
benefit and entertainment, such
child normally develops the habit
of loneliness and thus lead to
schizophrenia, therefore
children’s right must be
protected, preserved and
maintained, similarly they should
be given equal rights and
priviledges as adults for a
brighter future. The primary or
basic children’s needs are right to
education, health, entertainment,
association, interaction, shelter
and nutrition. Once these
essential needs are provided,
there is no doubt that they can't
perform wonderfully in their
undertakings and can deliver as
leaders of tomorrow