Ezekwesili urges FG, States to enforce 18-year minimum marriage age
Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education, has called on the Federal Government and state governments to enforce 18 as the minimum age of marriage across Nigeria, warning that child marriage continues to…
Nigeria's child marriage debate has long been complicated by the country's federal structure and competing legal frameworks. While the Child Rights Act of 2003 sets 18 as the minimum marriage age, it only takes effect once domesticated by individual states, and many northern states have yet to adopt it or enforce it in practice, citing customary and religious marriage practices. This has left Nigeria with one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, a situation rights groups and development experts have repeatedly flagged as a driver of poor maternal health outcomes, low girl-child education rates, and entrenched poverty cycles.
Obiageli Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education and co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, has previously spoken on girl-child education and rights issues. Her renewed call, as reported, adds to pressure on both federal and state authorities to close the gap between existing law and actual enforcement. The coverage from Vanguard and Leadership both centre on her appeal for uniform enforcement of the 18-year threshold, though neither report details specific policy steps, timelines, or commitments from government officials in response.