Toyin Falola
Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
104 Inner Campus Drive
Austin, TX 78712-0220
USA
512 475 7224
512 475 7222 (fax)
http://www.toyinfalola.com
http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa
http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs
http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
On 7/23/13 5:39 PM, "info@cananusa.org" <info@cananusa.org> wrote:
>CANAN CALLS ON NIGERIA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO RIGHT THE WRONGS AGAINST
>THE GIRL-CHILD
>
>CANANUSA.ORG, NY, July 23, 2013----As the process for the amendment of
>the Nigerian 1999 constitution progresses, CANAN, today wants to commend
>those who have spoken out clearly in condemnation of a law that seeks to
>promote Child Marriage in Nigeria.
>
>We are aware that a recent draft amendment to ensure that the marriage
>age be clearly stated as 18 years and above was defeated in the Nigerian
>Senate. This is a most shameful outcome!
>
>Based on records from United Nations Children¹s Fund, Nigeria is among
>countries where underage marriage is thriving attendant with all the
>physical and mental damages to the Girl-Child, including Vesicovaginal
>Fistula, which makes the little girls incontinent, dripping urine and
>feces!
>
>It is shocking that we can find a significant number of the Nigerian
>upper chamber lawmakers that are so uneducated and uninformed, and at
>least one that is currently known to be keeping an underage wife!
>
>We are concerned at the level of ignorance of some of this senators,
>who are among the best paid lawmakers in the world!
>
>But it is an outrage that a Nigerian lawmaker married to an underage is
>still allowed to sit in that chamber having clearly violated the Child
>Right Acts. It is a travesty that the Senate Ethics Committee have not
>challenged this senator, and also that the Nigerian Attorney-General not
>brought charges against him!
>
>It is because of these two critical failures in the system that has
>allowed the same Senator to block the passage of a common-sense
>amendment to the Constitution; an amendment that proposes to act in line
>with the Child Rights Act by stipulating age 18 as the minimum age for
>marriage.
>
>We are today calling on the Senate President, Honorable Senator David
>Mark to use his good offices to correct this reproach on the integrity
>of the Nigerian Senate. We are also calling on the Nigerian House of
>Representative to avoid a similar occurrence at the other chamber of the
>National Assembly.
>
>To paraphrase JFK, let it be clearly stated that in the defense of the
>Girl-Child, all Nigerians of goodwill all around the world should be
>prepared to Œsupport any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival¹
>of the Nigerian Girl-Child from the rapacious onslaught of a few greedy
>men who are trying to have their shameless way against defenseless
>girls.
>
>We at CANAN want to be counted in and we are calling on all our members
>in the United States to add their voices against this wickedness and
>pervasion.
>
>It is however encouraging that support for the Nigerian Girl-Child cuts
>across religious and ethnic divides in the country. Our prayer is that
>the LORD will be the ultimate protector of the voiceless and the
>defenseless in this matter!
>
>
>
>Laolu Akande
>
>laolu@cananusa.org
>
>Executive Director, CANAN
>
>New York
--
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Department of History
The University of Texas at Austin
104 Inner Campus Drive
Austin, TX 78712-0220
USA
512 475 7224
512 475 7222 (fax)
http://www.toyinfalola.com
http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa
http://groups.google.com/group/yorubaaffairs
http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
On 7/23/13 5:39 PM, "info@cananusa.org" <info@cananusa.org> wrote:
>CANAN CALLS ON NIGERIA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY TO RIGHT THE WRONGS AGAINST
>THE GIRL-CHILD
>
>CANANUSA.ORG, NY, July 23, 2013----As the process for the amendment of
>the Nigerian 1999 constitution progresses, CANAN, today wants to commend
>those who have spoken out clearly in condemnation of a law that seeks to
>promote Child Marriage in Nigeria.
>
>We are aware that a recent draft amendment to ensure that the marriage
>age be clearly stated as 18 years and above was defeated in the Nigerian
>Senate. This is a most shameful outcome!
>
>Based on records from United Nations Children¹s Fund, Nigeria is among
>countries where underage marriage is thriving attendant with all the
>physical and mental damages to the Girl-Child, including Vesicovaginal
>Fistula, which makes the little girls incontinent, dripping urine and
>feces!
>
>It is shocking that we can find a significant number of the Nigerian
>upper chamber lawmakers that are so uneducated and uninformed, and at
>least one that is currently known to be keeping an underage wife!
>
>We are concerned at the level of ignorance of some of this senators,
>who are among the best paid lawmakers in the world!
>
>But it is an outrage that a Nigerian lawmaker married to an underage is
>still allowed to sit in that chamber having clearly violated the Child
>Right Acts. It is a travesty that the Senate Ethics Committee have not
>challenged this senator, and also that the Nigerian Attorney-General not
>brought charges against him!
>
>It is because of these two critical failures in the system that has
>allowed the same Senator to block the passage of a common-sense
>amendment to the Constitution; an amendment that proposes to act in line
>with the Child Rights Act by stipulating age 18 as the minimum age for
>marriage.
>
>We are today calling on the Senate President, Honorable Senator David
>Mark to use his good offices to correct this reproach on the integrity
>of the Nigerian Senate. We are also calling on the Nigerian House of
>Representative to avoid a similar occurrence at the other chamber of the
>National Assembly.
>
>To paraphrase JFK, let it be clearly stated that in the defense of the
>Girl-Child, all Nigerians of goodwill all around the world should be
>prepared to Œsupport any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival¹
>of the Nigerian Girl-Child from the rapacious onslaught of a few greedy
>men who are trying to have their shameless way against defenseless
>girls.
>
>We at CANAN want to be counted in and we are calling on all our members
>in the United States to add their voices against this wickedness and
>pervasion.
>
>It is however encouraging that support for the Nigerian Girl-Child cuts
>across religious and ethnic divides in the country. Our prayer is that
>the LORD will be the ultimate protector of the voiceless and the
>defenseless in this matter!
>
>
>
>Laolu Akande
>
>laolu@cananusa.org
>
>Executive Director, CANAN
>
>New York
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "USA Africa Dialogue Series" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to usaafricadialogue+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.