Nigerian mass wedding for orphaned girls provokes outcry
Ben Farmer
TELEGRAPH
Fri, May 17, 2024
Mass weddings are not uncommon in Nigeria, where brides are dressed in red robes - KOLA SULAIMON/AFP
A mass wedding for 100 girls orphaned by attacks in Nigeria has prompted outcry amid criticism that some of the brides may be underage, or being forced to get married for money.
The ceremony supported by a local politician has been condemned by the national women’s affairs minister who has threatened an injunction to stop the nuptials.
Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, the speaker of the local assembly in north-west Niger state, said the wedding was to help constituents who had all lost relatives to attacks on villages by heavily armed gangs.
Mr Sarkindaji has since distanced himself from the wedding and has said the families must decide among themselves, but local clerics have said it should still go ahead next week.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the federal women’s affairs minister, called the ceremony totally unacceptable and demanded an investigation into the ages of the brides and whether they had consented to marriage.
She said: “I have written a petition to the police ... and I have filed a case for an injunction to stop him from whatever he is planning to do.”
‘Let children be children’
Abiodun Essiet, the president’s senior special assistant on community engagement, also objected.
She said: “I am not against conducting marriage for orphans above 18 years of age if they give their consent to the marriage.
“But I am against under-aged marriage. Let children be children.”
Mass weddings are not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the mostly Muslim north, where they are seen as a way to help impoverished families manage their expenses.
But underage marriage also happens in rural areas where communities struggle with poverty, insecurity and little access to education.
No details were immediately available on the ages of the orphans.
All wedding expenses paid
In January this year, Muktar Aliyu Betara, another Nigerian politician from Borno state, sponsored a mass wedding for 180 girls from his constituency.
The 17 and 18-year-old girls had lost their parents to jihadist violence.
Mr Betara paid for all the wedding expenses as the families of the brides could not afford the costs.
Mass wedding for Nigeria orphans sparks outcry
Fri, May 17, 2024
Mass weddings are not uncommon in Nigeria, where brides are dressed in red robes - KOLA SULAIMON/AFP
A mass wedding for 100 girls orphaned by attacks in Nigeria has prompted outcry amid criticism that some of the brides may be underage, or being forced to get married for money.
The ceremony supported by a local politician has been condemned by the national women’s affairs minister who has threatened an injunction to stop the nuptials.
Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, the speaker of the local assembly in north-west Niger state, said the wedding was to help constituents who had all lost relatives to attacks on villages by heavily armed gangs.
Mr Sarkindaji has since distanced himself from the wedding and has said the families must decide among themselves, but local clerics have said it should still go ahead next week.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the federal women’s affairs minister, called the ceremony totally unacceptable and demanded an investigation into the ages of the brides and whether they had consented to marriage.
She said: “I have written a petition to the police ... and I have filed a case for an injunction to stop him from whatever he is planning to do.”
‘Let children be children’
Abiodun Essiet, the president’s senior special assistant on community engagement, also objected.
She said: “I am not against conducting marriage for orphans above 18 years of age if they give their consent to the marriage.
“But I am against under-aged marriage. Let children be children.”
Mass weddings are not uncommon in Nigeria, especially in the mostly Muslim north, where they are seen as a way to help impoverished families manage their expenses.
But underage marriage also happens in rural areas where communities struggle with poverty, insecurity and little access to education.
No details were immediately available on the ages of the orphans.
All wedding expenses paid
In January this year, Muktar Aliyu Betara, another Nigerian politician from Borno state, sponsored a mass wedding for 180 girls from his constituency.
The 17 and 18-year-old girls had lost their parents to jihadist violence.
Mr Betara paid for all the wedding expenses as the families of the brides could not afford the costs.
Mass wedding for Nigeria orphans sparks outcry
Simi Jolaoso - BBC News, Lagos
Fri, May 17, 2024
Mass weddings are fairly common in northern Nigeria (file photo) [AFP]
The planned mass wedding of about 100 orphans has sparked widespread outrage across Nigeria.
The orphans, some of whom are feared to be underage girls, are set to be married off on 24 May in the north-western state of Niger.
They have all lost parents to attacks by armed bandits, who regularly target civilians across the state.
Nigeria's Women's Affairs Minister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye said she has filed a court order to stop the ceremony.
According to reports, the mass wedding was supported by the Speaker of the Niger State Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, who said local religious leaders had approached him for help funding it.
The Imams Forum of Niger have said that the marriage ceremony should go ahead, insisting that the girls are not below the 18 - the legal age of marriage.
However, critics have expressed concern that some girls may be younger than 18, or being forced to comply for financial gain.
Minister Kennedy-Ohanenye said the girls "deserve better" and that her department was looking into who the 100 girls are, their ages and whether they consented to the marriage.
Her department will offer the girls education and training, she said, adding that if the Niger State speaker attempts to block these efforts "there will be a serious legal battle between him and the Ministry of Women Affairs".
On Friday, senior presidential aide Abiodun Essiet reiterated Ms Kennedy-Ohanenye's plan of action.
Ms Essiet added: "My appeal to all stakeholders is to stop embarking on policies and programs that exploit economically handicapped vulnerable people, increase and recycle poverty, and deepen ignorance."
Human rights activists in Nigeria have launched a petition to stop the plan. As of Friday evening, it has 10,500 signatures.
According to international campaign group Girls Not Brides, 30% of girls and 1.6% of boys in Nigeria are married before the age of 18. Some 12% of girls are married before their 15th birthday.
Child marriages are most common in the northern part of the country, among poor, rural households. It is seen as a way to reduce their families’ financial burdens or to improve political and social alliances.
Northern Nigeria is mostly Muslim and religious and cultural norms, such as polygamy, favour the practice.
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