Girl-children being given out in exchange for livestock, gov’s wife cries out
The wife of the Governor of Cross River state, Dr. Linda Ayade has decried the exchange of girl-children in marriage for livestock in the state.
Addressing a press conference on Monday to mark the 2016 World Population Day (WPD) celebration, the wife of the governor stated that the practice was not acceptable.
“Though, we have often preferred to think that this happens only in distant lands, we have now heard the most incredible stories from some parts of our dear Cross River state where the unacceptable practice of girl-children being given in marriage in exchange for mere livestock still happens.”
Dr. Ayade, who was represented by Mrs Rose Eneji, said that many young girls today face a bleak future because their communities drive them into forced marriages and early motherhood which sometimes results in debilitating conditions such as Vesico-Vaginal Fistula (VVF).
“Some do not have access to reproductive health information and of course many are not able to get education to enable them support themselves through life”.
The wife of the governor called on government, civil societies, parents, teachers and all leaders of thought to be part of the fight of rescuing girls-children from this forced marriages.
“It is not enough when government formulates policies that protect the right of the girl-child. Teachers and parents must be committed to their duties of training and inculcating values by being exemplary in their conduct.
“Traditional rulers and opinion leaders according to her should not be silent but must speak up against actions and beliefs that discriminate against girls and deprive them of the right to make their own choices, while civil societies must be committed in their advocacy and support for programmes that provide opportunities for teenage girls to become empowered.”
To empower our teenage girls, Dr Ayade said “we must give them something that removes them from the control of others and allows them to determine their own future. We must give them information, education and economic empowerment that allows them to be independent and self-reliant. There is no bigger investment than this.”
Dr Ayade said that there are more young people in the world today than any other age group and an investment in them would change not only this group but their communities and countries at large.
“My pledge today is the same as before. I will continue to use my position as wife of the Governor of Cross River state to ensure the provision of information and opportunities for teenage girls.
“Through my non-profit organization, Mediatrix Development Foundation, I will continue my campaign against the societal menace of forced and early marriage by providing sensitization, training and capacity building for young girls” she stated.
Also speaking, the federal commissioner, National Population Commission, Cross River, Barr Idi Baba Yakubu said that data from the 2006 population and housing census indicate that Nigeria’s teenage population aged 13-19 was 20, 458, 601 or 14.6% of the total population out of which the teenage girls constituted 10, 001, 965 or 7.2% of the total population. By 2016, the population of the teenage girl has increased to 13, 787, 755.
“The conditions in which majority of the teenage girls live and the challenges they have to surmount on daily basis cut a pathetic picture. Without education, in poor health and with little or no control over her own body, the future of the teenage girl in Nigeria is imperiled and her potential may never be realized. The challenges and obstacles faced by a teenage girl multiply if she lives in a village and is from a poor household”
