Following the adoption by the Senate, of the
controversial child bride, aggrieved citizens
have planned to stage protests in different
states today.
Some of the states include; Lagos, Abuja,
Ondo, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Ogun
States, amongst others.
The protest was designed to get people to
sign a petition, with the estimate of two
million people, that would be submitted to
the State Houses of Assembly, chronicling
the grouses of the aggrieved persons on the
proposed law which many have termed as
bad.
In a statement made available to THISDAY
by one of the organosers, Japheth Omojuwa,
he said the protest would be more of petition
signing to register their grouse against the
law which seeks to permit female minors to
be married off to older males.
Tagged "ChildNotBride", the rally will hold at
the state Civic Center, Moscow Road, Port
Harcourt between 10am and 2pm and on
Sunday at CIWA Catholic Church, House on
the Rock and Heritage House by 10am.
In Abuja, he said the rally will hold at Unity
Fountain, Near Transcorp Hilton, Maitama,
while in Lagos, between about 9am and
12pm, different rallies would be held at
Ojeez Restaurant, National Stadium Surulere,
Alausa Park, opposite Lagos State
Governor's Office, Ikeja.
Others are the Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki,
New African Shrine, Agidingbi, Ikeja and
Union Bank, Alaba Junction. Oja-Alaba axis.
In Ibadan, the rally was billed for 9am to
12pm at Mokola behind Group medical
hospital, Press correspondent building, while
in Akure, it was billed for 12pm at
Adegbemile Cultural Centre, Akure.
Also, in Kaduna, between the hours of 9am
to 12pm, people are expected to throng the
Lugard Hall Front Gate, to sign the petition.
Also speaking, the CEO of Rise Networks,
Toyosi Akerele, said it was very unfortunate
that the Senate had okayed underage
women for marriage in Nigeria
She said, "This is the most absurd thing any
sane government could ever do. With the
teeming number of teenage pregnancies and
the social and health hazards that we are
already battling with, one wonders if our law
makers are really thinking at all. Have they
heard about obstructed labour due to small
pelvis of the child's mother?
"Have they heard about Obstetric fistula that
results from prolonged obstructed labour
that makes the girl leak urine continuously
and makes her a social outcast? Do they
know that many of these children are
divorced and driven out of their husbands
homes because of this malady?
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