Nigerian Senate Approves Marriage for under-aged children

Last week, the Nigerian Senate passed a resolution to alter Section 29 (a) of the proposed constitutional amendment which states that a Nigerian girl can only qualify for marriage when she is at least 18 years old.

The Senate claimed that a woman is deemed to be full of age once she is married irrespective of her age.

The Proponents or supporters of the under-age marriage rule includes Senator Yerima Ahmad Sani, Zamfara West, who claimed that the provision which stipulates a certain age for women before getting married, was at variance with Islamic law.

After a moment of controversy, Senate President David Mark asked his colleagues to vote afresh on the provision, a situation that eventually went in favour of Sani, who, thereafter, thanked the Senate president and his colleagues for supporting his cause.

It is worthy of note that Senator Yerima Ahmad Sani had two years ago married a 13-year-old Egyptian in violation of the constitutional provision.