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| Source: Premium Times |
#ChildNotBride,
a hashtag dedicated to fighting anti-child marriage cause, broke the Internet
on Sunday, as Internet users protested the decision of the Emir of Kano,
Muhammadu Sanusi II, to marry an 18-year-old Sa’adatu Barkindo-Musdafa.
Many
Internet users consider the bride as too young for the former governor of the
Central Bank of Nigeria.
Sa’adatu
is the daughter of the Lamido of Adamawa, Muhammadu Barkindo-Musdafa. A report
by an online media said the marriage between Sanusi and the young lady was
contracted in Kano State secretly on Friday.
But
some Internet users, who were not comfortable with the age disparity between
the couple, took to Twitter to protest the marriage.
#ChildNotBride
came to limelight two years ago when it was used to draw the attention of the
international community to a new bill aimed at legalising child marriage in
Nigeria.
The
bill, which stirred up controversy on the Internet, was brought before the National
Assembly. The hashtag, back then, trended widely on Blackberry, Twitter and
Facebook. Female rights activists and other members of the civil society joined
the campaign against child marriage, keying into the hashtag to air their
views.
Perhaps,
the most popular hashtag used in Nigeria before the creation of
#BringBackOurGirls, #ChildNotBride received fresh verve at the weekend
following Sanusi’s choice of a new wife.
The
hashtag started trending on Twitter on Saturday. But as of Sunday evening, it
had gone viral on Instagram, Facebook and even WhatsApp.
Users,
however, were dividend on the appropriateness of the hashtag, with some arguing
that it was abused in the case of Sanusi’s youngest wife.
They
argued that she was no longer a minor; hence, a platform created to protect
child brides should not have been used for her.
Due
to the divided opinions, counter hashtags, such as #GoAndMarry, #BrideNotChild
and #CrushNotHusband, were created in defence of the emir.
Interestingly,
#GoAndMarry, going by its wide endorsement, topped the Nigeria’s Twitter
trending list on Sunday. The hashtag was promoted by those who argued that
Sa’datu had taken the right decision.
As
of Sunday, a number of social media activists had started embedding #ChildNotBride
on their profiles – exactly the same strategy that popularised
#BringBackOurGirls – the most widely accepted local hashtag used for a Nigerian
cause.
The
buzz created around the #ChildNotBride hashtag, as of Sunday evening, had yet
to abate, suggesting that it may continue to trend in coming days.
Tweeting
on the issue, one Nnaemeka Ezeribe said attaining adulthood –18 years – did not
imply that a girl was mature for marriage.
According
to Ezeribe, an 18-year-old is only an adult legally but not old enough to
handle challenges that come with marriage.
Ezeribe
added, “Even if she must marry, it should be within her age bracket and not
getting married to somebody who is old enough to be her father. That is
unfair.”
However,
canvassing support for Sanusi, another tweeter, Mukhtar Dotun, said the reason
the law permitted 18-year-olds to obtain driver’s licences or voter cards was
because they were mature enough to take crucial life decisions. Such decisions,
he said, included marriage.
Dotun
asked, “If you consider an 18-year-old too young to marry, what age would you
suggest to be the minimum marriageable age? Since the law allows an
18-year-old, to obtain a driver’s licence and a voter card, on what assumptions
are people making their claims.”
Also
tweeting via @dhunnurayn, Abdulkabeer Ishola said those who were castigating
the couple were simply being mischievous.
According
to him, #ChildNotBride is most suitable as Sanusi’s wife is no longer a minor.
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