Don’t force marriage on your daughter, Bauchi emir warns

The Emir of Bauchi, Dr. Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, has warned parents and guardians against streets hawking and compulsory marriage of the girl-child. The Royal father gave the warning during the graduation ceremony of 448 girls, who were trained in life skills focusing on letting the girls realize their self- worth and esteem, organized by the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN), FAHIMTA, and Gild is Gold (CIGF).

He urged parents to stop forcing the girl-child into streets hawking under the pretext of generating personal income and boosting economic status.

The monarch, who was represented by the Dan-Isan Bauchi, Alhaji Ibrahim Yakubu III, said the call became necessary to save the future and wellbeing of the girl-child, adding that engaging the girl-child in street hawking is detrimental to proper upbringing of girls in the society.

The emir also stressed the need for parents and guardians to enroll their children in school, especially the girl-child, noting that educating a girl is equivalent to educating a society. He commended the organizers of the training and urged the participants drawn from seven LGAs of Bauchi, Dass, Jama’are, Toro, Ganjuwa, Katagum and Warji to make the best use of what they have learnt in their respective communities.

In her remark, Bauchi state FOMWAN chairperson, Hajiya Fatsuma Aminu Mohammed, noted that the training would prepare the participants for the challenges of gender roles within their communities and sharpen their financial literacy as well as appreciate the role of education as a tool for self-reliance.