Insufficient Schools In Northern Nigeria Fuelling Child Marriage Says Sanusi

Insufficient schools in northern Nigeria fuelling child marriage says Sanusi. Muhammadu Sanusi II, the emir of Kano, has attributed the persistence of child marriage in parts of northern Nigeria on the failure of government to provide adequate schools and structured opportunities for young girls after primary education.

Sanusi made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s ‘The Morning Brief’.

He featured alongside Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha, and Haliru Yahaya Ndanusa, the Emir of Shonga, in a discussion on culture, education and social reform.
Sanusi said while public discourse often focuses on child marriage, the structural conditions that push families into such decisions are frequently ignored.

The emir said many girls complete primary education at a very young age, with no pathway for further schooling or skills development.

“There’s no secondary school, there’s no skill centre, there are no provisions for her life,” he said.
He said in such circumstances, poor families are often driven by fear rather than cultural preference when marrying off young girls.

“We’re talking about child marriage, but you go to some parts of the north, there’s a primary school and that’s it,” he said.

“Between 11 and 18, what arrangements have you made for her? The poor man basically finds that she’s 12 or 13; he’s afraid that she can get pregnant on the road, and the next young man that comes, he marries her off.
Sometimes these cultures basically reflect poverty.”
The emir criticised urban perspectives that ignore rural realities, pointing out that roads are often unsafe, schools are distant or non-existent, and local government services are lacking.

“It’s easy to blame culture. It’s easy to blame a victim. But the government has not provided the schools,” he said.

Sanusi said according to the constitution, every child is entitled to an education.
“So if you take a child out of school you’re supposed to have committed an offence,” he added.

The monarch, however, questioned the practicality of enforcing such laws when the state itself has failed to meet its obligations.
“But how many people have ever been arrested for taking a child out of school? None of them,” he said.

Sanusi

He said the reason enforcement is non-existent is because government has not provided the necessary schools to accommodate children, especially in rural communities.

The emir said addressing child marriage require more than moral arguments or cultural condemnation, adding that government must invest in education and social infrastructure to give young girls viable alternatives.

Strike: Normalcy Returns At FCT Secretariat As Workers Resume

Strike: Normalcy returns at FCT secretariat as workers resume. The FCTA secretariat is bustling with activities as normalcy returns after the suspension of the planned solidarity protest by labour unions on Tuesday.

The secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration is bustling with activities as normalcy returns after the suspension of the planned solidarity protest by labour unions on Tuesday.

The protest was suspended after a truce was reached between FCT minister Nyesom Wike and the labour unions in the early hours of Tuesday.

The workers, who resumed work on Monday, were seen carrying out their activities and providing various services.

A visit to some offices in the Minister’s Block, the Treasury Department, the Federal Capital Development Authority, the Abuja Geographical System, and others on Wednesday showed that workers were at work, carrying out their duties.

The FCTA workers under the Joint Union Action Committee had on January 19 embarked on industrial action over unresolved welfare concerns.
The strike, however, was halted by a ruling of the National Industrial Court on January 27, which ordered the workers to resume work, a decision that didn’t sit well with the union leaders, who insisted that the strike must continue.

A truce was reached after several hours of meeting, from late night Monday to the early hours of Tuesday, between the union leaders, officials of the FCTA, Mr Wike, and the chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Mohammed Bomoi.
Reacting to the truce, the minister told journalists after inspecting some ongoing projects in Abuja on Tuesday that there were no winners or losers.

He expressed delight that the union leaders have seen the realities on the ground, which have helped to clear misconceptions.
“I’m happy that the trade union and labour congress came to see things for themselves. Sometimes it’s good. What they were told is not really what’s on the ground.

Wike

“But by and large, we have had a good meeting, and they’ve directed the workers to go back to work, which you can see has been done. So, we’re happy that at the end of the day, there is no winner, no loser.  It’s in the interest of Abuja to progress,” he said.

The organised labour had on Tuesday resolved the dispute between JUAC and Mr Wike, leading to the immediate resumption of work by affected employees.

A circular, jointly signed by the secretary-general of the TUC, Nuhu Toro, and the acting general secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, stated that the minister assured labour of mutual respect and sustained engagement on labour-related matters in the FCT.

It said the parties also agreed that no worker would be victimised for participating in the strike action and that all outstanding cases at the National Industrial Court would be withdrawn immediately.

Following the agreement, the NLC and TUC directed all affected workers to resume duty without delay.

Lagos Assembly Strongly Seeks Suspension Of Makoko Demolition

Lagos assembly strongly seeks suspension of Makoko demolition. The Lagos state house of assembly has called for the suspension of demolition activities in Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro waterfront communities following protests by displaced residents and growing public concern over the exercise.

The call was announced on Tuesday by Noheem Adams, chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house, during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Lateef Jakande auditorium.

Adams called on all state ministries to cease demolition work and promised compensation to the affected residents.
“On behalf of the speaker and all 40 members of the house, we are directing that all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, and Shogunro communities should stop from today until further notice,” New Telegraph quoted Adams as saying.

He called for transparency by demanding the full list of taskforce members and the criteria used for engagement, insisting that residents must be actively involved in the process.

“That the taskforce that was constituted, we want to see the list of the taskforce because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So we want to have the schedule of those task forces and the criteria for those that we are inviting,” Adams added.

Lagos Assembly

“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for all those whose properties have been demolished.”

Stephen Ogundipe, member of the ad-hoc, said there is need for clear communication, adding that residents targeted for relocation or redevelopment must be informed of the government’s plans in advance.

Babatunde Olajide, special adviser to governor of Lagos on E-GIS and urban renewal, confirmed that $2 million had been earmarked since 2021 to transform Makoko into a modern, internationally compliant water city.

He said enumeration of affected properties is underway and reiterated the administration’s commitment to handling the situation with a human face, prioritizing resident safety and fair compensation.

Yusuf Sagra, baale of Makoko, described the assembly’s decision as a “word of peace,” while Orioye Ogungbure, another leader of the community, praised the “democratic responsiveness” of the government.