Child marriage is a major challenge in Nigeria -Anuoluwapo ……Relates how she found herself in the media 

Akinyemi Cynthia Anuoluwapo is a young dynamic woman who is an advocate of the girl-child. She strongly believes if a girl child is trained, protected, and valued, she would grow up to contribute meaningfully not to her family alone, but to the society at large.

Speaking in an interview with CHINYERE IKEANYI, Anuoluwapo, who is also a media enthusiast, related how her involvement in serving the young ones in the society motivated her to set up Blacksatino, a media outfit. She spoke on the challenges facing the girl child and called on the government to ensure that child rights are protected in the country. Excerpts:

Being a girl-child advocate, what are some of the challenges facing girls in society and what is the way forward?

Child marriage is a major challenge in Nigeria and not only in the Northern region. Research reveals that 44 percent of girls in Nigeria are married before their 18th birthday and 18 percent before they turn 15.

Although extensive research is still needed to provide specific data to show the prevalence of child marriage in various regions of Nigeria, I believe that in-depth research will expose child marriage to be a major challenge across Nigeria.

There are communities in the east that also marry off their girls from nine years old, and research in the south-south has recently exposed the practice of money marriage which is also a reflection of child marriage where girls are given out in marriage as a form of debt repayment.

We consider child marriage to be a major challenge in Nigeria as we can estimate that almost half of the population of girls in Nigeria is married before they turn 18, which is the minimum age of marriage according to the Child Rights Act, 2003. Child marriage not only disrupts the education of girls but also impacts girls’ health when they get pregnant early and give birth early.

They could encounter complications in childbirth and even become affected by advanced challenges like cervical cancer and other health issues. Child marriage tends to complicate the development of a girl and interfere with her dreams and aspirations and no girl deserves that. So, there is a need for the domestication and implementation of the Child Rights Act, 2003. When that is done, l know that the right of Nigerian girls will be well protected.

How would you describe an average Nigerian girl?

It depends on the level of education. An average girl in Nigeria, l would say is tenacious, dedicated, wanting survival and success, and desiring to feed her future children. An average Nigerian girl is not lazy. Nigerian girls are intelligent and dynamic. Take, for instance, my parents believed in me and they gave me all the necessary support that made me what l am today.

Parents should believe in their female children and train them. When these girls attend university and acquire skills, their parents will not regret doing that because these educated girls will take care of their aged parents, assist their husbands and care for their own feature children.

How has your journey in the media been like?

I would say that media found me because l studied Home Economics in the University. But before then, I had already started writing at the age of 18. After my university education, I found myself in a radio station which gave me the opportunity to be easily accessible to information, news and all. l found myself among colleagues who were ready to help me grow. The blog on the radio became a family thing and it started spreading from there. My parents were also of a great assistance to me. Besides, the support l am getting from my husband is overwhelming.

How do we get good bloggers that are not feeding the public with fake news?

Nigeria had intelligent bloggers that publish authentic information. But l am not saying that there are no fake ones, there are. For us to have good Nigerian bloggers there is need for them to carry out proper investigation on issues before publishing it. It does not really matter who carries the information first, the most important thing is getting it right by publishing reliable information. I am, therefore, advising the young ones going into blogging to ensure they disseminate facts to the public.

For a better society