By Halimah Olamide
Award-winning journalist and Head, of the Development Desk, Premium Times, Mojeed Alabi has warned that trouble looms for the nation if early marriage is not looked into.
Speaking at the 10th day of the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), 16-Day Activism Against Gender-Based Violence themed: “Can Nigeria Afford to Ignore the Consequences of Early Marriage”
Alabi in his statement said that child marriage which contributes to the poverty of the country is yet to be eradicated due to people and authorities not doing the appropriate thing.
“We always say that when we train a woman, we have trained a generation, it is terrible that we claim to be suffering from poverty and what is behind this poverty has refused to go because the people and government have refused to do what is right
“If you look at the statistics, we realize that about 44% of girls across Nigeria as far back as 2021, got married before the age of 18 and in some parts of Nigeria, it’s as high as 78%.
“There is child rights law, but how many states have domesticated it. We can’t afford to ignore the consequences as the consequences are already here with us
“We are running the risk of building homes that don’t have a solid foundation. The situation could be worse if we look at out-of-school education.” He said.
The online conversation is hosted daily by the Wole Soyinka Center for Investigative Journalism (WSCIJ), to campaign against gender-based violence. It commenced on the 25th of November 2023 and will end on the 10th of December, 2023.