Minister of Women Affairs has initiated legal action against the Speaker of the Niger state

HARD NEWS

Minister of Women Affairs has initiated legal action against the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly for allegedly planning to arrange marriages for 100 orphans.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has taken legal action to prevent Niger State Assembly Speaker Abdulmalik Sarkindaji from marrying off 100 orphans.

At a press conference in Abuja on Monday, the minister announced that she had requested a court order to halt Sarkindaji’s plan.

She also said she had lodged a complaint with the Inspector-General of Police.

The speaker has recently announced a plan to marry off orphaned girls who lost their parents in banditry attacks in the Mariga Local Government area.

This plan is part of a constituency project initiated on May 24. The speaker intends to ease the hardships of the affected girls by sponsoring their dowries and providing necessary materials for the mass wedding ceremony.

After public backlash, the speaker clarified that they were only sponsoring the wedding expenses and not compelling the girls to marry.

However, a representative from the women’s ministry, Kennedy-Ohanenye, objected to the plan, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the girls’ education and future. The ministry has committed to providing education and vocational training opportunities for the girls to support their development.

The Minister of Women Affairs strongly condemned the practices described by the honorable speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly.

She emphasized that these practices violate the Child’s Right Act and that the government will not tolerate them. She stressed that the well-being of children, both in the present and future, must be prioritized and protected.