The Federal Ministry of Women Affairs has disclosed robust plans to give a new lease of life to the 100 female orphans who were earlier slated to be married off in mass wedding scheduled for 24th May, 2024 at Mairiga Local Government Area under the sponsorship of the Speaker, Niger State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji.
Speaking during a media briefing in Abuja, the Minister of Women Affairs, Barr. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye stated that the Ministry had earlier secured a Minna High Court injunction on the proposed wedding but with the intervention of the Etsu Nupe, HRH Alh. Yahaya Abubakar’s visit to the Emir of Kotangora, HRH Alh. Mohammed Muazu and the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, they are seeking alternative ways of resolving the issue.
“Our primary aim is to guarantee the welfare and interests of the girls which forms part of the Ministry’s mandate and that was why I directed the relevant department in the Ministry to activate the process for a court injunction which we got yesterday to restrain the organizers of the proposed wedding from proceeding with it till we carry out due diligence and profiling on the girls to ascertain their ages and other relevant details”
Barr. Uju stated that she was delighted to receive the Emir of Kotangora and Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly in her office who urged her to consider alternate ways of resolution.
During the visit, the Emir stated that he has suspended the proposed wedding and pledged his emirate’s willingness to partner with the Ministry in any possible way to provide a new lease of life for the girls.
In the same vein, the Speaker said that “I was acting in good faith because the traditional rulers within my community approached me and sought for my assistance towards the wedding ceremony and I obliged them with good intent but with the intervention of the Minister, I am here to seek ways of resolution and for us to partner towards giving the girls a new lease of life”
The Minister opined that part of the arrangement include a meeting with the girls for proper profiling to work towards sending them to school, provision of digital skill acquisition training, onboarding the girls on the Ministry’s E-market portal and provision of sustainable empowerment for the girls.
She added that their joint efforts will be geared towards ensuring the welfare of the girls but the Court injunction still subsists till they resolve all grey areas.
Ohaeri Osondu Joseph, Fnipr, Fcai
Special Assistant, Media