Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Uju Kennedy-Ohannaye, has taken legal action to halt the proposed marriage of 100 female orphans in Niger State announced by the speaker of the House of Assembly.
Recall that the speaker recently announced his plans to marry off the orphaned girls, who lost their parents due to banditry attacks in Mariga local government area as part of his constituency project on May 24, in a bid to alleviate the suffering of the impoverished and pledged to pay their dowries and have procured materials for the mass marriage.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, while showing disdain towards the proposed mass marriage, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and sought a court injunction to stop Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, Speaker of the Niger state Assembly from marrying off 100 orphaned girls stating that they violate the Child Rights ACT and raise serious concerns about the ages and consent of the girls involved and urged the authourity to launch into the matter.
The minister emphasised the importance of considering the future of the girls and promised to provide them with necessary support and empowerment opportunities to help them realise their potential
The minister in another development further disclosed plans to distribute POS machines, laptops, and farming tools to women across all thirty-six federation states, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as part of the Ministry’s sustainable empowerment initiatives.
