LAWMAKER representing Argungu/Augie federal constituency of Kebbi state at the House of Representatives, Sani Yakubu Noma, said he had concluded arrangements to give out 100 female orphans in marriage.
He disclosed this while speaking to journalists in the state, saying the marriage ceremony would take place on Saturday, November 25.
“A committee has been set up for the successful implementation of the event. Those selected to be married out were drawn from the two local government areas that I’m representing at the National Assembly.
“Already, I have procured beds, mattresses, essential furniture, and other matrimonial commodities for the beneficiaries,” Noma was quoted as saying.
He described the marriage plans as his contributions to the welfare of orphans.
The ICIR reports that this is not the first time orphans would be married off in Kebbi.
In 2017, it was reported that four orphans were given out in marriage by the state government under the administration of Abubakar Atiku Bagudu. The act was also described as a contribution to the welfare of the less privileged members of society.
The Kano state government also conducted a mass wedding ceremony for about 1,800 couples, including widows, divorcees, and spinsters from the 44 local government areas (LGAs) of the state in October this year.
Although the ages of the orphans married off in Kabbi were not disclosed, a 2021 report by Save the Children International stated that 48 per cent of children in Northern Nigeria are married by age 15.
In an investigation in July, The ICIR reported how teenage girls in Niger state were forced into marriages by parents, guardians or community members.
Some of the girls who attempted to escape the forced union were subjected to inhumane treatment, including rape.
According to the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), complications during pregnancies resulting from underage marriages are one of the leading causes of death in older adolescents in Nigeria.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.