From Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja, 04.23.2010

Following the recent alleged marriage of former Governor of Zamfara State, Senator Sani Yerima, to a 13-year-old Egyptian girl, the Federal Government has said it has called a stakeholders’ meeting to determine the measures to be taken against abuse of underage girls by men old enough to be their fathers.

In addition, it said legal steps to be adopted against such offenders are also being considered as a deterrent against such abusive behaviour.

Speaking at a USAID-funded roundtable to share experiences and best practices on gender dimensions of the Orphans and Vulnerable Children Programming in Nigeria, Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Josephine Anenih, said the marriage of a senator of the Federal Republic to a 13-year-old girl was repugnant and amounted to the debasement of womanhood.

The minister, who had come under pressure from gender-based activists to tackle the issue, said: “I will call a stakeholders’ meeting to deliberate on it and find a lasting solution to it. Men, who abuse vulnerable children; men, who marry 13-year-old children; I think such men should not be spared. They should be made to face the wrath of the law.”

The minister, who was represented by the Director of Orphaned and Vulnerable Children, Mrs Oby Okwuonu, said the issue of sexual vulnerability was a function of poverty as such abuses do not usually happen to the children of the rich.
In her remarks, Country Representative of Africare, one of the partners in the project, Maisha Strozier, said the project would last for five years in 11 focal states of the federation.

“USAID through management sciences of health recently commenced a $20 million intervention package for orphans and vulnerable children in 11 Nigerian states through community-based support for OVC in Nigeria.

“In five years, it plans to reach 50 thousand OVC and 12,500 caregivers in 11 focal states following national guidelines through a variety of community-based and family-centred approaches,” she said.

The former governor, a serving senator, had allegedly married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl. Such marriage is illegal in Egypt which prompted the senator to have allegedly moved the ceremonies to Nigeria.

The union had, however, drawn flaks and outrage from Nigerians, who felt such a union was quite unbecoming of a senator of the federal republic.

Following the recent alleged marriage of former Governor of Zamfara State

The former governor, a serving senator, had allegedly married a 13-year-old Egyptian girl. Such marriage is illegal in Egypt which prompted the senator to have allegedly moved the ceremonies to Nigeria.

how is it still alleged?

na wa o, so under nigeria constitution paedophilia is legal?!?!

Dis Guy:

how is it still alleged?

na wa o, so under nigeria constitution paedophilia is legal?!?!

Yes it is.
The United Nations has been up in arms against it for donkey years now, but the sharia states have put their foot down about what they claim to be their culture. The average marriage age in Kebbi state is 15. Female children as young as 9 or 10 are routinely forced into marriage with grown men in these areas.
Because of health complications to do with their se'xual imaturity, a great percentage of these children go on to develop Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF) or Rectovaginal Fistula (RVF).

Vesicovaginal Fistula (VVF)
VVF occurs when the blood supply to the tissues of the vagina and the bladder is restricted during prolonged obstructed labour, the tissues die between these organs, forming holes through which urine can pass uncontrollably. VVF is also sometimes referred to in the literature as Vesico-vaginal Fistula and Vesico Vaginal Fistula.

Rectovaginal Fistula (RVF)
RVF occurs in a similar way to VVF however, holes form between the tissues of the vagina and rectum, leading to uncontrollable leakage of faeces. RVF is also sometimes referred to as Recto-vaginal Fistula and Recto Vaginal Fistula.

http://www.forwarduk.org.uk/key-issues/fistula/definitions

This is a terrible fate for the affected children. Even worse is the fact that they are dumped by their ra'pists and left to rot away after they develop VVF or RVF.

[size=14pt]Yeriman should be tied between between trucks and have his limbs yanked off. Rap!st bastar'd![/size]

This man shld be sacked from d Senate chambers and tried in a federal court even if his sharia court clears him d federal cour shldnt

His hands,legs n d><k shld b cut off then stone 2 death.BIG MAGGOT.

the man is just shameless and to think he wanted to be president.

i have a baby sister who is 13, God knows i will personally snuff out

life out of any man who will attempt such a shameful act on her

pervert,dt shameful scum,i dnt understand this ppl,what sort of joy ll he derive in despoiling a 13 yr old 'baby'?