By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The proposed mass wedding of 100 orphaned girls in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State has attracted more attention than was intended. A move that began as a simple intention to help girls whose parents were killed by bandits has metamorphosed into a full fledged verbal war tinted with religious connotations.

The invitation card announcing that the Speaker Niger State House of Assembly, Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, would be giving the hands of 100 orphans in marriage was first sighted on the social media platform, Facebook.

According to the information contained in the invite, the mass wedding would be done alongside the flagging off of a 5km road network within the local government headquarters and distribution of cars to the eight district heads and other critical stakeholders in the local government area. The event was scheduled to hold on May 24, 2024.

The Speaker had confirmed to journalists who reached out to him for further clarification that the hands of100 female orphans who lost their parents in banditry attacks in Mariga Local Government Area would be given out in marriage. He said he would pay the dowries for the bridegrooms and had already procured all the materials the 100 girls needed for proper marriage.

The Speaker, who represents Mariga Constituency at the state Assembly however did not disclose the age range of the girls but stated that the girls who would be married off were carefully selected from the 170 girls whose names were submitted to him. The Speaker had said the wedding of the 100 girls was being done with the best of intentions and would serve as a way of ameliorating the sufferings of the poor.

In comes the Women Affairs Minister

Two days after the information became public, the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye blazed with anger on national news platforms over what she perceived as underage marriage and announced that the Ministry has filed for court injunction to stop the Speaker from marrying off the orphans.

Kennedy-Ohanenye also said she had petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and an investigation had been launched into the issue. At a press briefing in Abuja, she declared the planned mass wedding “unacceptable”  to her and by extension the Federal Government.

By the Child Rights Act, according to her, every child belongs to the state. Hence the rights of every child would be protected from harm, violence or anything that would infringe on them, “because there is something called the Child’s Right Act, and I said it from the outset that it is no more business as usual.We’re ripe for marriage, say would-be Niger mass wedding brides

The proposed mass wedding of 100 orphaned girls in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State has attracted more attention than was intended. A move that began as a simple intention to help girls whose parents were killed by bandits has metamorphosed into a full fledged verbal war tinted with religious connotations.

The invitation card announcing that the Speaker Niger State House of Assembly, Barrister Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, would be giving the hands of 100 orphans in marriage was first sighted on the social media platform, Facebook.

According to the information contained in the invite, the mass wedding would be done alongside the flagging off of a 5km road network within the local government headquarters and distribution of cars to the eight district heads and other critical stakeholders in the local government area. The event was scheduled to hold on May 24, 2024.

The Speaker had confirmed to journalists who reached out to him for further clarification that the hands of100 female orphans who lost their parents in banditry attacks in Mariga Local Government Area would be given out in marriage. He said he would pay the dowries for the bridegrooms and had already procured all the materials the 100 girls needed for proper marriage.

The Speaker, who represents Mariga Constituency at the state Assembly however did not disclose the age range of the girls but stated that the girls who would be married off were carefully selected from the 170 girls whose names were submitted to him. The Speaker had said the wedding of the 100 girls was being done with the best of intentions and would serve as a way of ameliorating the sufferings of the poor.

In comes the Women Affairs Minister

Two days after the information became public, the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye blazed with anger on national news platforms over what she perceived as underage marriage and announced that the Ministry has filed for court injunction to stop the Speaker from marrying off the orphans.

Kennedy-Ohanenye also said she had petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and an investigation had been launched into the issue. At a press briefing in Abuja, she declared the planned mass wedding “unacceptable”  to her and by extension the Federal Government.

By the Child Rights Act, according to her, every child belongs to the state. Hence the rights of every child would be protected from harm, violence or anything that would infringe on them, “because there is something called the Child’s Right Act, and I said it from the outset that it is no more business as usual.