Writing on EkimogunMirror is just a fulfilment of my vow to my loving country when I say, “I pledge to Nigeria my country, to be faithful Loyal and honest…” So, God help me to shine the light on the dark parts.
The legislative arm of this country at a point wanted to make being a pedophile legal in this country, why will the gay people not clamour for gay marriage being legalized? since our country is ruled by emotions. We get angry and lay people off work, pour hot water on wives or beat them up, give excuses for armed robbery and kidnapping, give excuses for looting funds, light up pipelines, kill eachother and blame it on religion and all sorts. Such an emotional country. Between pedophiles and gays, I don’t know which one is better.
But, the most amazing thing about the child marriage is that, the Nigerian society is throwing the blows in the wrong direction. We blame the government for child marriage and I think that is a wrong way to do it. I agree they tried to sign it into law but it cannot be effective if we don’t blame the right people. The right people to blame in this scenario are the parents that are stupid enough to give up their child for money, security or power, I can’t seem to understand the rationale behind that for such parents, because it is so shameful that it tarnish the image of the entire family in the society and they turn a blind eye and say it is no ones business what they do to their daughter.
It is as simple as lack of integrity on the part of the parents and disrespect of a female child in the society. I know how a mother will scream if her male child is married off to a woman her age (well the non gluttony ones), so it is the same thing in this case, it is absurd! I see it as greed when all you think of is how to satisfy yourself as parents at the detriment of a child which if you ask me should be punishable by the law.
Parents who support this act deserved to be punished with a strict measure and if the society really wants to help this case, schools, churches should be visited to help these girls know that it is a disaster to be married off to an older man and help shaping their mind towards fulfilling their goals in life. Some parents will go as far as not training them or send them to school again and that is where the government can come in. But all these will not be necessary if all these old men will respect themselves and be useful to the society than excercising their ill-mental sexual desires or untamed power and influence on these kids.
Now, a case arise from all these. As I ask, who will punish the parents for encouraging this act? Will it be the same people that want it encouraged in the first place? Â So, what do we resolve to? For me, I say God and our good conscience if we have any left in us.
