Former Minister of Education Obiageli Ezekwesili has called on the Federal Government and state governments to enforce 18 as the minimum age of marriage across Nigeria. In a statement on Sunday to mark the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, she warned that child marriage continues to undermine girls' education and the country's human capital development. Ezekwesili said Nigeria has 23.6 million women and girls who were married before the age of 18, the highest number in West and Central Africa. She cited Jigawa State, where 78 per cent of women aged 20 to 49 were first married before 18, and urged governments to work with traditional institutions.
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