Credit: Prmium Times

Aisha Yesufu, a representative of the Bring Back Our Girls group gave Nigerian leaders some food for thought when she tasked Nigerian leaders to stop marrying teenage girls, far younger than themselves if the nation must actualize its dream of protecting the girl child.

 Aisha Yesufu,, made the charge at a two-day national conference on the social protection of the girl child, in Abuja.

She noted that it was pointless for leaders to pose as protectors of the girl child if their action tells the opposite.

“If we keep saying something and doing the opposite, it makes no sense”.

“If we are saying that we want to protect the girl child, and want her to go to school; then our leaders should not be seeing marrying girls who are still in school,” she said.

Ms. Yesufu added that the culture which permits polygamy should not be abused by any one, especially role models in society.

“A situation whereby someone already has three wives, and then goes to marry a girl who is 30 years his junior, because he is a leader; what does that say to other girls her age?” she queried.

Ms. Yesufu added that the society should treat as paedophiles men who marry girls in their early teens just because they feel capable of ensuring medical treatment that might sustain her health.

“A person who can do that as far as I am concerned is a paedophile and should be treated as such.” 

Food for thought.