Minister backs Niger mass wedding, makes donations

100 orphaned girls in Niger State were granted scholarships and received gifts by the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, in anticipation of their mass wedding scheduled for today.

The Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, is sponsoring the event. Despite her opposition to the mass wedding, citing it as a breach of the Child Rights Act, the minister took action to support the girls.

During a press conference in Abuja, Kennedy-Ohanenye revealed that she had taken steps to halt the wedding by submitting a formal complaint to the Inspector General of Police.

Additionally, she initiated legal proceedings by filing a lawsuit to prevent the Speaker from proceeding with the mass wedding.

The Speaker strongly criticized the minister for interfering in a religious and cultural matter she was unfamiliar with. He accused the minister of acting without seeking to comprehend the challenges faced by the girls, leading to the need for their weddings to be supported.

The Speaker was supported by both the Niger State Council of Imams and the Muslim Rights Concern, who cautioned the minister to avoid involvement in the mass wedding that they believed should proceed as planned.

Prior to the group wedding ceremony, the minister’s Special Assistant on Private Sector, Adaji Usman, visited Niger to disclose scholarships for the girls and distribute various items like wrappers and food supplies.

These offerings were distributed to 100 young girls at the Emir of Kontagora’s palace, Mohammed Muazu. Through Usman, the minister provided 10 Point of Sale machines, 100 wrappers, and 350 bags of 10kg rice each.

She also declared a university scholarship opportunity for any girl interested in pursuing higher education. Additionally, the Emir of Kontagora pledged to gift each girl a sewing machine.

Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye instructed the opening of bank accounts for the 100 prospective brides, providing them with a stipend for six months to assist in their transition to their new homes.

She criticized the media for exacerbating the initial controversy surrounding the marriage of the orphans, clarifying that her intention was not to halt the marriages but rather to ensure that the girls were of legal age and entering into marriage willingly.

Every parent desires to see their children get married when they reach the appropriate age. The initial resistance to the proposed marriages led to a public dispute between my office and the Speaker’s office.

I appreciate the Speaker’s handling of the situation, and I assured him that we would closely supervise the girls in their new homes to ensure that the goals of our empowerment program are not compromised.

The Speaker expressed disappointment that the support for the marriage of 100 girls had been politicized, stating that it was purely for political gain from his constituency. He clarified that he was wrongly accused of using politics to force children into marriage.

The minister, driven by her dedication to women and girls, intervened in the situation despite not having all the facts, leading to media attention.

Thankfully, I have now been proven right. The minister and others now understand that the girls are old enough to marry and are doing so willingly.

I supported the marriages out of compassion for these vulnerable girls, many of whom are orphans due to insecurity in my area. My intentions were sincere.