Stop forcing girls into early marriage — Bauchi Emir

The Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Adamu, has warned parents against pushing girls into early or forced marriage.

He argued that such a practice portended grave danger for the would-be young mothers.

He gave the warning at the graduation of 448 girls who were trained in life skills by the Bauchi State chapter of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria and Gild is Gold Foundation, held at the Government Girls’ College, Bauchi.

Adamu also counselled parents to stop forcing the girl child into street hawking under the pretext of boosting their economic status.

He stressed that such acts were detrimental to the proper upbringing of girls in society.

The emir, who was represented by the Dan-Isan Bauchi, Alhaji Ibrahim Yakubu III, also called on parents to enrol their children, especially the girl child, in school, pointing out that “educating a woman is educating the nation.”

The monarch, who commended the organisers of the life skills training, urged participants drawn from Dass, Jama’are, Toro, Ganjuwa, Katagum and Warji LGAs of the state, to make the best use of what they learnt in their respective communities.

The Country Director of MEDA, a Canadian support organisation in Nigeria, Mr Chom Babu, noted that Nigeria’s problems needed solutions by Nigerians, hence the need for all hands to be on deck.

Babu, who outlined the importance of the life skills training, expressed confidence that Bauchi community would immensely benefit from the MEDA programmes.

The Chairperson, FOMWAN, Hajiya Fatsuma Mohammed, in her welcome address, noted that the training would prepare participants for the challenges of gender roles within their communities.

She added that the training would also sharpen the participants’ financial literacy and make them appreciate the role of education as a tool for self-reliance.