A non-governmental organisation, Do-nation, has urged the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, to look into the issue of underage and teenage marriage that has reportedly characterised the Makoko area of the state.
The Lead Coordinator of the group, Shanu Tiwatope, in a statement on Wednesday, bemoaned the trend of young persons forced into teenage marriage in the Makoko slum.
The Federal Government had in 2021 called on Nigerians to protect the girl child and end child marriages and other forms of gender-based violence in the country.
The government also pushed for the domestication of the Child Rights Act in the 36 states of the federation to pave the way for an end to child marriage.
Tiwatope said, “During our pioneering outreach to Makoko, a slum in Lagos State, my team and I observed with disdain the high rate of young mothers roaming the areas with their children. Most of these children and their mothers, who are mostly young persons in their teenage age, appeared malnourished and haggard.
“These are young girls who should either be in school or learning a skill, were already mothers and cohabitating with the men who impregnated them like they were married. It dawned on me that they were living as wives because they had no choice.
“Our research further shows that 85 per cent of them are also being abused physically and emotionally by their partners.”
Tiwatope added, “With this reality, I am appealing to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, to, as a matter of urgency, address this situation for the safety of Lagosians.”
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