Girls Not Brides: Sen. Yerima’s School of Thought

“I can give my daughter out at the age of 6”, a statement made by a Nigerian lawmaker, Sen. Sani Yerima from Zamfara State. This was a man that influenced the introduction of Sharia law into Nigeria in 2000, which caused many their lives, if not for the intervention of God.

‘Nigeria has many problems but early marriage is not one of them. In fact, early marriage is the solution to about half of the problems. For those who wonder if I can give my daughter(s) out in marriage at the age of 9 or 13, I tell you most honestly, I can give her out at the age of 6 if I want to and it is not your business. In Islam, marriage is not only about sex, it is about family and helping one another in achieving their goals, which is the attainment of Paradise. In Islam, a girl can be given out in marriage as early as 6 years old, but consummation of the marriage can only be done when the girl becomes physically mature and she gives her consent to it because unlike English law, it is not permissible for a man to rape his wife in Sharia law. So, what can anybody tell me?

I live in a city where young girls at the age of 12 have already became serial fornicators and cannot count the number of men they have had sex with. I live in a city where primary school children disflower themselves behind toilets on Valentine’s Day. I live in a city where young girls flood the street at night looking for men that would give them #500 to have sex with them. I live in a city where parents send their daughters out overseas to prostitute and send dollars home. I live in a city where Government officials pick undergraduates from University car parks with Coastal Buses to wild sex parties. I live in a city where abortion is so common that even a Chemist store owner can perform abortion with just #2,500. These are your daughters, and this should worry you and not Yerima’s private matters. So, ask me again why I support early marriage and I will slap the Jinn(demon) out of your head’.

We earnestly hope that one day our leaders will shun selfish ideas and focus on how to promote the general good of the nation’s posterity. It is worrisome that some leaders can just wake up any moment and say whatever they like, Democracy, isn’t it? Is this truly Democracy or Democrazy?