₦airaland Forum

tellwisdom: 99cent, thats your gayish hand up there

I'm not a celebrity now, am I?
try again, telldoofus.

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5 more posts till I reveal the answer people keep guessing!! (insultive or abusive posts do not count).

toshmann: good to know you recognize . . . now bow down and show respect . .

smh. what a silly child.

hell no i'm no feminist . . . i'm a humanist through and through
and rush limbaugh is not my ideal republican, neither is bill o'reilly. if you want to know my republican heroes think about George H W Bush (Bush Snr), Joe Scarborough, Chuck Hagel, John McCain etc

ok. humanist (whatever that means) is fine. As long as you are not an anti-feminist (like cameroon, davidlan and co) and you believe in gender equality. no comment on the second part of ur post about George Bush being your hero. whatever floats your boat.

it's not their fault. Nigerians who sit and watch these p[size=1pt].[/size]edophiles ruling our country are to blame. Nigerians should go and occupy the senate house and refuse to leave until that underage marriage clause is removed from the constitution.

so cute

excanny: Igbos should not only just own lands, but own firearms. A Minimum of one Ak-47 for every Igbo family. We should never stay away from owning arms, this failing state called Nigeria is second only to Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia.
Let Igbos be always ready blood letting anytime. This is the Nigerian destiny until she crumbles.

smh. you mean igbo destiny?

obas01: Dis shud b Oputa pokin "charley Boi"

very good guess but incorrect!
nice try

biolabee: The issue is actually the child rights bill which was supposed to be ratified at state level
The northern states have not
Maybe this was a backdoor route

You are completely correct!
the child rights bill (passed in most southern states early this year) gave the impetus for the clause to be brought forward to be expunged. But the northerners voted against it.

biolabee: The cougar

Back to the debate on the constitution

Though the debate was about renunciation n not underage marriage

The implication of that subsection that a married woman of any age is of sufficient capacity to renoubce means that an underage woman who is married is deemed full age and that is the issue

On the cancer issue, though europe has higher incidences of xancer than afrika, they hsve a lower mortality rate due to better medical care
Data should be contextually defined


Or wat do u think

the debate is absolutely NOT about renunciation of citizenship. It is 100% about underage marriage.

a citizen of Nigeria is defined to be an adult at 18 yrs of age.
and a married girl who is not 18 is an adult by virtue of her marriage. according to nigerian law, such a girl is not required to go to school, can be pregnant at a very early age and it is very legal and justified by law. This is absolutely repulsive!! In fact, I didn't know this was in the Nigerian constitution until this whole incident. It was introduced into the Nigerian constitution in 1979 by a northern mallam who claimed that the law needed to be changed to fit islamic ways. ie little female children (the clause specifically mentions "women" ) should be considered adults and allowed to marry.
This is the clause that the northern senators refused to remove. because it is against "islamic law"


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The cancer stuff is unrelated but yup you are right. westerners have lower mortality rate therefore higher cases of chronic illness related to longer lives ex. Alzheimer, most cancers, arthritis etc. developing countries are plagued more with infectious diseases but tend not to live long enough or have a good health care system to manage chronic illnesses.
Diabetes is one of the few chronic illnesses that is rising rapidly in third world countries it affects middle age folks but can be seen in younger people too in rare cases.

Afam4eva: How will someone with such as hand be a celebrity?

you are shocked?
just make a guess.

I found these pics on twitter. First person to guess correctly wins. Answer will be revealed after 15+ posts
Hint: This celebrity is recently divorced and has a few children.

name the celebrity! Start.

how can they be set to wed when they don't even have a picture together talkless of dating.
all these gossip websites sha.

[size=14pt]How Bogaletch Gebre is Bringing an End to Female G.enital Mutilation in Ethiopia[/size]
Gebre awarded the King Baudouin African Development Prize for her work in women’s rights

May 24, 2013

A victim of female g.enital mutilation (FGM), Gebre has spent 16 years campaigning for women's rights in Ethiopia. In that time, she has reduced the rate of FGM in some parts of the country from 97% to just 3%.

In recognition of her work, Gebre was awarded the King Baudouin African Development Prize in Brussels. The prize honours those who contribute to the development of Africa.

Gebre was born in Kembatta, a region in Ethiopia where FGM was endemic and women were largely uneducated. She refused to remain illiterate and learned to read by visiting the church school under the pretext of collecting water.

She eventually received a government scholarship and went on to study in Israel and the US, where she lived for 16 years.

In 1997, Gebre decided to return to Ethiopia to change the lives of women living there.

"If you have experience in countries like ours, seeing the women of my country and how they live and then getting the opportunity to see a different life - how women in other countries live - I wanted to improve their lives," she told IB Times UK

Gebre said that on her return to Ethiopia, she saw that life had not changed much: "Education had improved, girls were going to school, but they weren't succeeding or going further with their education.

"By the time they reached fourth grade they were coming into puberty and their parents were afraid of bride abduction and would not allow them to go to school.

"The major job for girls in the family is not studying, like boys. When they come home it is their job to go to fetch water, or get wood or cook dinner. Boys study and girls work during the time boys study, so they have no time for education."

She also told how girls who do continue with their studies are ostracised, with men refusing to marry them, believing them to be "disobedient".

"Female g.enital mutilation was a given, it was common. Domestic violence was an absolute given - It was a man's right to beat his wife - women expected to be beaten. If a husband is not beating his wife, he is not considered a strong man. All these things were happening when I arrived."

Gebre believes FGM can be eradicated completely, but that this will only happen if there is "commitment to action". She said that while other African governments are starting to bring in legislation making FGM illegal, it is still being practiced. The major barrier, she said, is seeing FGM as a cultural issue instead of a criminal one.

"Killing in any country is forbidden, whether it is a democratic society or a dictatorship. Like that, people should think FGM is a crime and governments and politicians should see that it's a human rights issue, and a life and death issue.

"In the process of cutting girls die. They bleed to death. If they don't die the wounds won't heal and become infected and they become ill. If they survive that and get to the age where they get married, they die in childbirth, not only the woman but also the children.

"It's a horrible process that humanity must see as a crime, not a cultural issue. It's violent and women should have the human right to life. [FGM] must be fought, like we fought slavery we must fight this."

Gebre said that while FGM and bridal abductions are a starting point, her main goal is to get equality for women - she says women all over the world are persecuted because of the sex they were born: "It is taken for granted that we can do anything we want with a woman. This should not be accepted. In this century, we should take this issue as seriously as terrorism

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/471078/20130524/female-g.enital-mutilation-ethiopia-bogaletch-gebre-end.htm
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/talking-female-circumcision-out-of-existence/

^ citizenship renunciation heh?
u really are trying to convince me that the northern senators want to keep the clause so that the underage girls can have the "right" to renounce their Nigerian citizenship if they marry foreigners and vice versa?. Joke of the day.

different countries have different "adulthood" age. and if you have any critical thinking faculties at all, u will see that the word "citizenship" there is to make it known that Nigerian national "adulthood" age is set to 18. I'm not even a law student and can interpret the legal wording. It's simple enough. they are not talking about Nigerian citizenship. they are talking about the definition of legal adulthood in Nigeria

government is currently in session and hearing bills to amend the constitution. the people are voicing their concerns and you are mad about it.

During constitutional review debates in 1979 Aminu Kano (the leader of the PRP) felt that the age of 18 years used in subsection 4a was an arbitrary western concept of maturity. The legislators in 1979 at the time agreed with the PRP argument and subsection 4b was included.

that clause was inserted in 1979 because Aminu Kano felt that undeage girls were mature enough. I bet $1000 bucks they are considered only mature for s.ex, hard labor nothing else. I sure don't see these "legal adults" at the voting booths. oh also since they are adults and no longer children, they are not required by law to get compulsory childhood education!

The 1979 constitution did not contain provisions for renunciation of citizenship. During constitutional review debates in 1979 Aminu Kano (the leader of the PRP) felt that the age of 18 years used in subsection 4a was an arbitrary western concept of maturity. The legislators in 1979 at the time agreed with the PRP argument and subsection 4b was included.

That section has been in the constitution since then. It reads thus (I've also included subsection 4):

29. (1) Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation.

(4) For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section.

(a) "full age" means the age of eighteen years and above;

(b) any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.


The constitution is currently being amended and rights groups have called for the deletion of subsection 4b.

You need 2/3rds majority of votes in the senate, house of representatives and 2/3rds of all the state houses of assembly in order to amend the constitution.

2/3rds of the senators present at that time = 73 votes. The senate voted and more than 73 senators voted that 4b should be deleted. The senate moved on to other clauses.

A while later, Senator Yerima raised a point of order that subsection 4b cannot be deleted because deleting it is against islamic law. He stated that in islam, a woman is deemed to be of full age once she has gotten married. The Senate President, David Mark, reminded Yerima that the Senate has a tradition that it does not re-visit a clause once it has been voted on, but Senator Yerima continued to protest.

Eventually the Senate President agreed to hold a second vote. This time 60 senators voted that the subsection should be removed, while 35 voted that it should not be removed. They couldn't get 2/3rds majority.

Section 4b stands.

According to this report, the senate originally voted to remove the clause. then senator yerima reminded his peers that in "islamic law" a married child is considered to be full age an adult. They took a second vote and this time, majority voted to keep the law. to treat 12yr old girls as adults so far as they are married.

citizenship renounciation my azz. the senators r just trying to talk their way out of public backlash and criticism.

coogar: the above excerpt in the constitution was what they were trying to amend. some of the senators wanted to know if a married woman is deemed of full age with acquiring citizenship or renouncing citizenship....

pls don't make me laugh.
Full-age = Adult aka "old enough to have s[size=1pt].[/size]ex."

renounce citizenship my azz. pls tell me you are joking. why would the senators be discussing whether or not married 13 yr olds can renounce citizenship. unless "citizenship" is codeword for something u r not being explicit about.

there has been mass rejection of underage marriage by the nigerian public that i will be surprised if it doesn't become illegal. people are prostesting against it and even a senator had to come out to deny that he voted in favor of it. the pressure is getting to the senators
that's the power of people speaking out to voice their concerns.

coogar: where did you hear that underage marriage is about to be sanctioned in our constitution? are you even conversant with this issue or you are just doing the usual herd mentality?

WTH. do you actually know why this thread was created? and the news surrounding it?

so let me explain it to you:
the nigerian senate held a vote to remove a clause in the constitution that said an underage married girl can be considered an adult(since underage sex with a grown man is constitutionally illegal). The vote didn't pass because several senators voted against its removal.
if it had passed, child marriage will be illegal in de facto sense. because 12 yr olds will no longer be considered adults and treated as adults (sex etc) just because they are married.

http://dailypost.com.ng/2013/07/21/give-the-girlchild-pen-not-a-penis-nigerians-kick-against-underage-marriage-law/

there is no argument here. It's either you support underage marriage or not.
if you are indifferent, you shouldn't be here arguing in the first place!

davidylan: It depends on what form of "oppression" we are talking about here. you seem to be fixated on women who are not lording it over their husbands.

So you are worried you won't be able to "lord" over your wife? See as u are projecting your insecurities. Just don't marry a woman with a strong personality if ur that concerned. feminism or not, a woman with a strong personality will lord over you and she might be the most ardent renouncer of feminism to boot. Remember I said personality not gender


anyway what's wrong with equality? why r u threatened by it?
Mandela supports equality between sexes. so should you

coogar: defend what? i am not defending the practice but i can understand why they do and you have no right to criticise the religion of millions of people just because you are on the other side of their idealism - that's malicious, uncouth and the biggest act of cowardice.....

it's one thing to sympathize with those who torture children (child witchcraft) and marry off little girls.
It's another thing to attack those who speak out against it. It means that you so much empathize and sympathize with those who practice such acts that you somehow identify with them.

Do you agree or not agree that underage marriage be sanctioned into Nigerian constitution?
the question is not if you understand why they do it. but whether or not to allow them to make it a nigerian law to allow underage marriage. WHERE DO YOU STAND?

ShyM-X:
However, what are you going to do about it? Are you going to go up North and force them to speak out, or take a crusade there to fight them to change their culture?

the fact that we are discussing this in a public space and have hundreds of people speaking out against it is an action in and of itself. Also, one doesn't need to go to the north and force anyone to "change" their culture. The issue is we need to keep the bill out of our NIGERIAN constitution and prevent it from becoming law. Legalizing such an act by law will give an impetus to even southerners who support the idea to go ahead and marry children and feel justified by their act because Nigerian law supports it. Pedophilia is not exclusive to northerners. You said so yourself didn't you?

Nigeria introduces law to protect 'witch' children and BAN child witch accusations. We now need a similar law to BAN underage marriage. witchcraft accusation is just as old or even older than child marriage. So, if you support child marriage because it's part of "tradition" then do you also support practice of torturing "child witches"?

coogar: we were told to stand back and mind our business when the west adopted gay marriage in our churches even though the practise is extremely repulsive to me. i was told it's not my damn business what people choose as their sëxual preference. by the same token, it's not my damn business who some parents decide to marry their 7-year-old daughter to. their child, their lives, their prerogative!!!

if it's not your damn business then why are you on this thread?
you claim "it's not your business" when in fact, you have made it your business to support and promote child marriage as an "african culture"

let me guess, you also support the persecution of "child witches"?
Nigerian government, after pressure from children's right activists, introduced a law to protect the torture of children accused of witchcraft. This was only last year!!
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/africa/nigeria/121101/nigeria-introduces-law-protect-witch-children
how is this any different? children should not be forced into marriage by adults. such adults should face punishment.
I hope a law in introduced soon to BAN underage marriage.

what baffles me is why would anyone go on a thread to defend such an inhumane practice.

Soyinka deserves criticism for his sexist comments. No doubt he has little respect for womanhood.

I recognize his achievements and all, he is an accomplished man, but he needs to apologize. Instead of apologizing for his wrong "choice of words" he made matter worse by adding the "madame shepopotamus" comment
It's maybe ok if he writes chauvinistic things in his book. But this is real life here. Not fiction.

Soyinka is losing it. He was married thrice and divorced thrice for a reason. Three wives all left him. biko. He has a problem.

ba7man: Marrying/Sex with kids is wrong. END OF STORY!!! Because some people engage in it doesn't make it right.

100x likes

the sad thing about suicide is that it's contagious.
no doubt she was suffering from depression and now she has given an impetus to several others who are also suffering from severe depression and suicidal thoughts to go along with the idea.

Nigeria needs to develop an effective mental health awareness program. esp. severe depression.

----
Warning Signs of Severe Depression

Depression is a common but serious disease that ranges widely in severity. If you have a milder case, you may struggle with symptoms that include sadness, irritability, anger, and fatigue that last for weeks or longer. Such depression interferes with your daily life and relationships.

But some cases of depression are more severe, with intense symptoms that may include frequent thoughts of death or suicide. Such depression can be paralyzing. You may isolate yourself and have trouble getting out of bed or leaving the house.

Symptoms of Severe Depression
What are the symptoms of severe depression?

Alcohol or drug abuse
Insomnia or excessive sleeping
Irritability
Loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable
Hopelessness
Persistent thoughts of something bad happening
Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts
In very severe cases, psychotic symptoms (such as hallucinations or delusions)

Although you might feel that there's no hope, talk to your doctor about treatment options. Even severe depression symptoms can be treated.
Risk Factors for Suicide

Not all people with risk factors will be suicidal. In addition to depression or other mental illness, risk factors for suicide include:

Past history of substance abuse
Past history of suicide attempt
Family history of suicide
Family history of mental illness or substance abuse
Firearms in the home
Incarceration
Exposure to other people exhibiting suicidal behavior
http://www.webmd.com/depression/second-time-12/warning-signs

ShyM-X:
However, what have you lot done about those Catholic Priests ra.ping young black boys in their ar.ses on that continent? Churches ra.ping people's pockets by selling them a dream? And all your sisters around Europe prostituting themselves everywhere giving black women a disgusting image?

your hatred against women (black and african women to be specific) which caused you to open this thread is very evident for all to see.

that last part of your post is known as human or s.ex trafficking. which thank God is against the law. Although governments spend more time persecuting the pro.stitutes (who are often young girls) than they do persecuting the pimps and traffickers.

ihimami: With this your argument, you may as well support gay marriage and Inbreeding marriage because the world is changing and it means progress with total freedom for an individual choice.

so because some backward africans practice underage marriage so therefore those who are opposed to underage marriage must be also in support of gay marriage and inbreeding.
this is getting serious.

ShyM-X:
I'm doing it in phases and telling y'all to focus on more important issues as there is nothing new under the sun.

it's not an important issue because you are not a girl and don't have daughters so it doesn't concern you. at least that's what you have said.

but why are you mad that other people are concerned about it?

ShyM-X:
leave these people alone to evolve at the own pace;

more hogwash.
if you do not care for the young girls, then u should just press the ignore button rather than trying to convince people to stop voicing concern against it.
you are here telling people to let underage marriage continue and evolve at its own pace. wth?
evolve to what? 2 yr olds getting married off to men?

this thread clearly comes from a place of hatred against women as ur post has been 90% unrelated rant against feminism which was never even mentioned in the petition thread.

ShyM-X:
Are all Nigerians the same ethnic groups with the same cultural values?

WTF is my business if some ragheads somewhere in the middle of the Sahara desert up North prefer child marriages? What has it got to do with me?

And what has people throwing twins in the forest got to do with me? - I'm Yoruba and we never threw twins in the forests - heck we worshipped them. I've got twins in my family and my ancestors were also twins. So that crap has nothing to do with me, and I could care less about those who practised it.

The earlier you lot understand that Africa doesn't have a homogeneous culture - the better for us all!

You clearly opened this thread as an attack on those who oppose child marriage. In your head, only a "feminist" would oppose child marriage and therefore we shouldn't because it is a bad thing to support women's (esp girls) rights not to be forced into marriage.

ShyM-X:
And where did I support?

Go read all my posts and quote where I supported it.

I said; let them evolve at their own pace and focus on your own problems.

This is what you said, and I quote: "However, people need to be allowed to lead their lives the way they want, as long as it's part of their culture."
hence, let nigerians who want to marry off 13 yr old do so without repercussions?
might as well start saying twins should henceforth be killed and thrown off into forests because it's "part of our culture"
sometimes, a culture might have bad aspects that needs to be CHANGED.
let's not forget that it hasn't been too many yrs when we had some pastors and churches maiming and torturing children because they were accused of "witchcraft" ie child witches. should this also be allowed because it is part of our culture? that one is one heck of a backward culture, and on the contrary, cultures are meant to progress. otherwise u won't even be typing from a computer (modern apparatus) as we speak.