Child Marriage:Oritsejafor to lead protest against senators

President of the Christian Association of
Nigeria, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, on Tuesday
said he would lead Nigerians to protest
against the Senate resolution to amend
Section 29 (4) (b) of the 1999 Constitution
under which married underage girls are
deemed to be adults.
The association also frowned on the
comment credited to former Governor of
Zamfara State Ahmed Yerima that the
proposal for the deletion of the section
contravened Islamic Law.

Oritsejafor, in a statement, described
Yerima's argument as offensive, saying, "It
presupposes that Nigeria, a secular state, is
populated only by Muslims."
The CAN President, who urged the Senate
to revisit the child marriage issue, also
called on Nigerians to reject the resolution
which he described as provocative and
dehumanising.

He said, "By the grace of God, I will,
personally mobilise Nigerians and lead the
street protest against this oppressive and
dehumanising resolution. Why would the
Senate, after voting recoil, simply because
of a point of order premised on religious
basis?
"We, Christians, also have Canon Law,
which frowns on marriage of girls who are
not of age. Christianity abhors such
marriages. The protest will be soon.

"Finally, I urge the Yerimas in the Senate to
toe the path of the Holy Qur'an, which
states that one who kills a person unjustly
in effect has killed everyone and one who
saves another has saved everyone.

They
should save these girls and Nigerians the
agony of having their children married off
at ages below 18 by unfavourable
legislations."
Oritsejafor noted that Yerima's latest
comment would stir up another
controversy in the country.
Yerima as a governor introduced the
controversial Sharia, the Islamic Legal code,
in Zamfara State.

According to Oritsejafor, people like Yerima
are approaching Qur'anic teachings from
extremes and disturbing the balance.
"It makes me wonder the source of the
emotions and thoughts that nurture them,"
he said.

The CAN President said as a Senator, whose
case of marrying a 13-year-old Egyptian
girl was still fresh in the memory of
Nigerians, Yerima should "only be seen and
not heard in matters of this nature".

He added, "If now Yerima is commenting
on a case in which he has interest, it can
only mean the action of a man frenziedly
trying to get himself out of the hook
through some undeserved legislations. I
appeal to those individuals who have been
educated along this line in the Senate not
to use their rights as lawmakers to harm
children below the age of 18, but to choose
the
interest of these children above their
own.

"These girls should be allowed to develop,
individually because this resolution, if
implemented, would hound girls below 18
years into marriages they know nothing
about. This is only one dimension of this
tragic resolution.

"I feel that when individuals attain a
certain way of thinking and understanding
and reach certain status in life, they should
be able to comprehend that it is necessary
to adhere to conventions in line with best
practices the world over and not harm
other members of society, no matter their
ages within the same society."

Share on Google Plus

About mine4u