Following the adoption by the Senate, of the controversial child bride, aggrieved citizens have planned to stage protests in different states today.
Some of the states include; Lagos, Abuja, Ondo, Port Harcourt, Kaduna and Ogun States, amongst others.
The protest was designed to get people to sign a petition, with the estimate of two million people, that would be submitted to the State Houses of Assembly, chronicling the grouses of the aggrieved persons on the proposed law which many have termed as bad.
In a statement made available to THISDAY by one of the organosers, Japheth Omojuwa, he said the protest would be more of petition signing to register their grouse against the law which seeks to permit female minors to be married off to older males.
Tagged "ChildNotBride", the rally will hold at the state Civic Center, Moscow Road, Port Harcourt between 10am and 2pm and on Sunday at CIWA Catholic Church, House on the Rock and Heritage House by 10am.
In Abuja, he said the rally will hold at Unity Fountain, Near Transcorp Hilton, Maitama, while in Lagos, between about 9am and 12pm, different rallies would be held at
Ojeez Restaurant, National Stadium Surulere, Alausa Park, opposite Lagos State Governor’s Office, Ikeja.
Others are the Palms Shopping Mall, Lekki, New African Shrine, Agidingbi, Ikeja and
Union Bank, Alaba Junction. Oja-Alaba axis.
In Ibadan, the rally was billed for 9am to 12pm at Mokola behind Group medical hospital, Press correspondent building, while in Akure, it was billed for 12pm at Adegbemile Cultural Centre, Akure.
Also, in Kaduna, between the hours of 9am to 12pm, people are expected to throng the Lugard Hall Front Gate, to sign the petition.
Also speaking, the CEO of Rise Networks, Toyosi Akerele, said it was very unfortunate that the Senate had okayed underage women for marriage in Nigeria
She said, "This is the most absurd thing any sane government could ever do. With the teeming number of teenage pregnancies and the social and health hazards that we are already battling with, one wonders if our law makers are really thinking at all. Have they heard about obstructed labour due to small pelvis of the “child” mother?
"Have they heard about Obstetric fistula that results from prolonged obstructed labour that makes the girl leak urine continuously and makes her a social outcast? Do they know that many of these “children” are divorced and driven out of their husbands’ homes because of this malady?
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