Youth coalition criticizes minister over mass wedding injunction

The Coalition of Youth and Civil Society Organizations in Niger State has urged the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, to exercise decorum, civility, and caution concerning matters affecting the faith and societal values of Nigerians.

This appeal follows a Federal High Court in Abuja granting an injunction to halt the planned mass wedding of over 100 girls sponsored by the Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, in Mariga Local Government Area.

Gambo Abubakar Mohammed, the convener of the coalition, advised the minister in Minna that her efforts to stop the marriage would be in vain.

Mohammed emphasized that the coalition would work to overturn the injunction, criticizing Ohanenye for what he described as an uninformed attempt to gain political recognition.

“On this note, we are demanding a written apology in five national newspapers and television stations to Niger State, the people of Mariga LG, and the Speaker of the Niger State House, Abdulmalik Sarkin-Daji, for the disrepute brought upon his personality,” Mohammed stated.

He also called on President Ahmed Bola Tinubu to dismiss the Minister of Women Affairs for her statements, which he described as reckless and offensive to the Muslim faith and Northern values. The coalition further highlighted the Speaker’s decision to sponsor the marriages following requests from religious and traditional leaders, providing support for the livelihoods of orphaned girls.

The group questioned why the minister had remained silent on similar mass weddings conducted in other northern states, suggesting inconsistency in her stance on the issue.