Nigeria’s Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has backtracked from her tough stance on the marriage of 100 orphan girls in Niger State.
The mass wedding is being sponsored by Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly. The minister initially opposed the wedding ceremony describing it as a possible violation of the Child Rights Act. She petitioned the Police to stop the event and got a court injunction restraining the organizers of the marriage.
However, the minister came under intense pressure from Muslim conservatives who accused her of religious and cultural insensitivity and meddlesomeness. She said she was strictly following the law.
But by Thursday, Ms Ohanenye had turned a new leaf. Her ministry sent in relief to support the girls. Their wedding is scheduled for this afternoon, Friday, May 24.
Ministerial Gifts For The Brides
Ahead of the wedding, the minister, represented by her Special Assistant on Private Sector, Adaji Usman, announced scholarships for the girls up to the university level. The ministry sent in items such as wrappers, foodstuffs, Point of Sale machines etc. The minister directed that bank accounts be opened for the girls. A stipend will be paid into accounts every month for the next six months to support the young maidens in their new matrimonial homes.
The gifts were given in the palace of Emir of Kontagora, Mohammed Muazu. The Emir himself gave each girl a sewing machine.
Media And Politics To Blame
The minister clarified that her initial opposition to the wedding was misunderstood. She blamed the press for the “war” between her ministry and the Speaker.
“I did not intend to stop the marriage but to be sure if the girls are of marriageable age and were not being forced into it”, she said.
“Every parent will want to marry out her wards if they attain the right age for marriage. The initial opposition to the planned marriage was misunderstood, hence the media war between my office and the Speaker’s.”
She thanked the Speaker for his handling of the situation. Furthermore, she promised to monitor the girls in their new homes to ensure the empowerment scheme’s objectives were met.
The Speaker moderated his previous rhetoric and attempted to give the minister a soft landing. He blamed his constituency for misinforming the minister instead.
“It was pure politics from my constituency. They misinformed the minister that I was playing politics with the lives of the children by forcing them into marriage. But thank God today I have been vindicated. The minister and the whole world have seen that these girls are of marriageable age and nobody is forcing them into it. It is being done with their consent“, he said.
Nigeria is a diverse country. Ms Ohanenye comes from the Christian South where the cultural and religious attitudes to marriage are significantly different. However, she insists her actions were based strictly on law and the constitution of the Republic.
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