Kuni Tyessi in Abuja
More than 24 million Nigerian women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday, the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) has warned, demanding urgent action to end child marriage.
In a statement on Sunday to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, the council said Nigeria, which is among countries with the highest numbers of child brides globally, cannot meet its 2030 deadline to end the practice without funded interventions and enforcement of the law.
The NCWS, under the theme ‘End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights,’ cited UNICEF figures and the 2023-2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, which showed 33.4 per cent of women aged 20-24 were married before 18, with prevalence approaching 50 per cent in the North-east and North-west.
Its National President, Princess Edna Azura, described child marriage as a national development crisis, not a private family matter.
The council said poverty is a major driver, with girls from poor households far more likely to marry in adolescence. It warned of severe health consequences such as eclampsia, infections, obstetric fistula, prematurity and low birth weight, as well as lifelong loss of education and economic opportunities.
It cited about 7.6 million out-of-school girls nationwide, noting that women without formal education marry at a median age of 16.6 years compared to 21.7 years for those who complete secondary education.
According to the council, investing $114 million in out-of-school girls in two northern states alone could generate $2.5 billion (about N3.6 trillion) in economic benefits, based on a 2025 study by UNICEF and the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.
The NCWS said despite all 36 states adopting the Child Rights Act, implementation remains weak.
It demanded enforcement of Section 21 of the Act, which sets 18 as the minimum age of marriage, and called on the National Assembly to review Section 29(4)(b) of the Constitution which deems a married woman to be of full age.
It also called for free birth registration, compulsory registration of all marriages with age verification, training for police, prosecutors, judges and customary and Sharia court officials and functional family courts.
The council outlined an eight-point action plan including enforcement of the marriage age, safe completion of secondary education for girls, school feeding, conditional cash transfers, menstrual hygiene support, recruitment of female teachers, second-chance education for married girls and young mothers, targeted financial assistance for poor households, and funded child protection desks, helplines, safe shelters and adolescent-friendly healthcare.
It urged traditional rulers, imams and pastors to promote later marriage and called for release of funds for the Costed National Action Plan to End Child Marriage with dedicated budget lines and annual public reporting.
“A girl’s childhood is not ours to give away,” Azura said, urging government, families and communities to protect girls’ health and allow them to determine their futures.