Copyright tribuneonlineng
IN what is evidently a positive outcome of public outrage against child rights abuse, Ese Oruru, the girl who was abducted from Bayelsa State, trafficked to Kano State, and coerced into marriage and Islam in 2015 when she was just 14 years old has reportedly obtained a university degree. An irresponsible and criminally minded adult, Yunusa Dahiru, subjected the young girl to circumstances that almost dimmed her light, very early in life. Luckily, however, she was rescued by the police following relentless public disapproval of his despicable conduct. Ese attended the University of Ilorin where she has just graduated with honours (Second Class Upper) in Education Technology. The disclosure was made by Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education and one of the prominent personalities who relentlessly censured the abuse Ese was subjected to and pilloried the man who orchestrated her predicament. It was a delighted Ezekwesili that described Ese’s academic achievement as “a testament of what a determined mind can accomplish”. She stated further: “I am super-joyful to honour and celebrate the academic achievement of Ese Oruru!” It will be recalled that Yunusa, then living in Bayelsa State, abducted Oruru from her Opolo, Yenagoa habitation and trafficked her to Kano State, where she was converted to Islam and criminally forced into marriage, which was consummated and later led to the birth of a baby on May 26, 2016. Not a few Nigerians were incensed by the dastardly and primitive action of the man and his enablers and there was sustained outpouring of public outrage until the police rescued her. She was sent to the gender and child protection unit of the police force, where she received psychological and emotional support. She was not only assisted to get her life back on track psychologically and emotionally, but she was also helped to take a leap that promised significant progress in life: the acquisition of tertiary education. This is the kind of timely and robust official intervention that every citizen who is in need deserves. And in any case, one of the primary responsibilities of any government is the protection and promotion of the welfare of citizens and we commend the official intervention in the instant case. This story shows that to do exploits, what the girl child, and indeed every child, needs is support, protection, encouragement, guidance and education. For instance, Ese is a girl that could have ended badly and become one of the statistics in government files, a damaged adult without education, and among the wretched of the earth, were it not for the support of the Nigerian society. She was abducted and confined in purdah without her parents’ knowledge. And she was made to renounce her faith and embrace another in a 21st century democratic Nigeria! The appalling mentality and worldview of Ese’s abductor certainly leaves a sour taste in the mouth! Apparently, it never mattered to Yunusa or he didn’t have the capacity to realise that he was about to truncate the life ambition of a young girl, who was evidently a minor. By forcing her into early marriage and confining her in purdah, he imposed limitations on the trajectory of her life, and made exploits and success a distant dream. Curiously and most embarrassingly, Yunusa’s older relations in Kano where he took Ese to did not chastise him or cause him to reverse his primitive and obnoxious action. Apparently, they didn’t see anything wrong in what he did. It was very shameful. Thank goodness Nigerians rose up and spoke for Ese against religious slavery, fanaticism and enforced marriage, thereby rescuing her from the clutches of child marriage. And instead of wallowing in ignorance and poverty in Kano where she would have become a baby factory and had her dreams aborted, she was assisted via official intervention to become an improved person and enhanced human capital who is capable of contributing to societal progress. Sadly, Yunusa’s case is not an isolated one. There have been several cases of child rights abuse, including child marriage and forceful conversion to Islam before and even after the incident involving him and Ese. And that is because the cultural and religious practices in a section of the country permits women and child rights’ abuse, although it does not see it as such. Many of the northern elite are known to support child abuse and early marriage, hiding under the cloak of religion. This is in spite of the well known adverse physiological and socioeconomic consequences of this clearly retrogressive practice. Eighteen years is the age of majority and this is in tandem with the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).That provision presupposes that anyone below the age of 18 cannot enter into any valid contract, including marriage.The breach of this provision, or at best its duplicitous implementation in the North, has always been a source of concern. It must be addressed decisively. We strongly condemn any culture that robs children of childhood. The rights of a child should not be violated on any account, let alone religion, as the religious books clearly prioritise the welfare and wellbeing of children. The provisions of the Child Rights Act are very explicit. Nonetheless, in the face of recurrent breaches, it would not be out of place for the National Assembly to legislate a nationwide enforcement of the Act into law, even in states where it has yet to be domesticated. There can be no legislative overreach on matters that have to do with the protection of the rights of the vulnerable groups in the society, especially women and children.That a young girl who was once abducted and forced into marriage and Islam could have a dramatic turnaround by coming out in flying colours after receiving university education is a testament to the limitless potential of many children and young people who need just a bit of hand-holding in order for them to accomplish their ambition in life. All stakeholders, with the government leading the pack, owe it a duty to ensure that Ese’s horrible experience before her triumph over the evil of child abuse is not the lot of any Nigerian girl child ever again. Thus, while commending Ese on her academic excellence and her resilience that saw her surviving abduction and forced marriage, it is also important to spare a thought on the imperative of value reorientation for those who are still holding fast to an anachronistic tradition.
