A former governor of Zamfara, Sani Yerima, says marriage is not a barrier to education for underage girls, as he boasts that the girl he married at 14 is studying for her Master’s degree. 

The former presidential aspirant, who married a teenager in 2010, disclosed this in an interview with Channels TV on Friday.

“Marriage does not stop anyone from getting educated,” Mr Yerima said when told that marrying underage girls violates their rights to education.

He added, “That is if you don’t allow them to continue with their education.”

Asked whether the girl he married in 2010 has furthered her education, Mr Yerima boasted, saying, “Yes, she is doing her Masters Degree now.”

“I told you my daughter, who was married at 16, is doing her PhD now. Sixteen or 14 are the same thing,” said Mr Yerima.

Mr Yerima dismissed the Child Rights Act as a law smuggled through the National Assembly through manipulation but has not been domesticated by any states in Northern Nigeria.

“Whatever law is passed by the National Assembly, it has to be domesticated by the State assemblies. Once they have not done that, it is no longer a law. 

“Former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to smuggle the Child Right Act and passed it at the National Assembly through some manipulations, but I don’t think any state in the North domesticated and passed it as law. And once they have not done that, it’s no longer a law,” Mr Yerima said. 

Last year, Mr Yerima claimed he did nothing wrong marrying a teenager.

“If I had done anything wrong, I would have been tried in court. NAPTIP wanted to try the case, and they dropped the matter because I didn’t do anything wrong,” Mr Yerima told Channels TV.

Contrary to Mr Yerima’s claim, the Child Rights Act has been domesticated in some North-West and North-Central states, such as Kaduna, Katsina, Taraba, Niger, Plateau, Kogi and Kwara.