The Emir of Kano, Alhaji
Muhammadu Sanusi II Tuesday voiced his opposition against child marriage saying
it’s time to peg marriage age in the Nigeria. Addressing a conference of
Northern Muslims Religious Leaders Forum on Primary Health care in Kano, the former
Central Bank Governor explained that the reproductive health challenges
associated with such practice is enough to discouraged the age long tradition.
Sanusi II said that
Nigeria Muslims are ardent followers of Maliki school of thought like Morocco,
Malaysia and Egypt, stressing that these brotherly countries had since pegged
marriage age . In Sanusi II words ” I believe the time is ripe to take a stand
on this age long practice of early marriage, and coincidentally we subscribed
to Malikiyya school of thought like Morocco, Malaysia and Egypt who had since
pegged marriage age to 17, 19 and 18 respectively”. The emir stated that the
role of a woman as a housewife are numerous and highly demanding, as he further
stressed the need to allowed our women to attained maturity status before
marriage. Sanusi II who frowned at cultural practices that encourages polygamy
noted that “most of those who engage in this practice do not have the necessary
economic power to support himself”. The emir who took his audience through
historical lane explained “in the past, cities like Kano, Katsina, Aghadez, and
Timbuktu hold economic power of the Sahel region, and this economic prospect
had since shifted to coastal cities around the globe”. Commenting on wife
battery, the emir said that Islam abhors assault on women and he enjoined those
involved in the act to desist from such practice. Sanusi II disclosed that “I
don’t expect my in-law to lay his hand on my daughter, but I have since urged
her to retaliate any form of assault from her husband”.By Abdulsalam Muhammad KANO
