The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has announced scholarships and donated various gift items to 100 orphaned girls in Niger State, ahead of their mass wedding today. The wedding is sponsored by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji.
Kennedy-Ohanenye initially opposed the mass wedding, claiming it violated the Child Rights Act. She had petitioned the Inspector General of Police to stop the wedding and filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the Speaker.
At a press conference in Abuja, the Minister explained her concerns. “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. Kennedy-Ohanenye blamed the media for escalating the controversy, adding, “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.”
In Niger, the Minister, represented by her Special Assistant on Private Sector, Adaji Usman, announced scholarships for the girls and provided items such as wrappers and foodstuffs. The items were given to the 100 young girls at the palace of the Emir of Kontagora, Mohammed Muazu. The Minister presented 10 Point of Sale machines, 100 wrappers, and 350 bags of 10kg rice. She also announced scholarships up to university level for any of the girls who wish to continue their education.
Additionally, the Emir of Kontagora donated a sewing machine to each girl. Kennedy-Ohanenye directed that bank accounts be opened for all 100 brides, with stipends sent to them for the next six months to help them settle into their new homes. She assured, “The girls will be closely monitored in their various husbands’ houses so that the objectives of the empowerment scheme would not be defeated.”
The Speaker of the House, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, criticized the Minister for interfering in a cultural and religious issue without understanding the circumstances. He stated, “It was pure politics from my constituency. They misinformed the Minister that I am 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.”
Sarkindaji emphasized that his intention was to support the marriage of the 100 girls, most of whom are orphans due to insecurity in his constituency. “I decided to support the marriage out of genuine concern for these girls. It was with a pure heart,” he said. He also praised the Minister for the empowerment scheme, saying, “She has shown that she is a mother and really meant well for the girl child in this country.”
The Emir of Kontagora thanked God for the peaceful resolution of the matter. He confirmed that all necessary medical tests, including HIV/AIDS, genotype, Hepatitis B, and pregnancy tests, were conducted and the results were handed over to the Minister’s representatives.
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