The Senator representing Kwara Central and Chairman Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki has debunked the allegation to his knowledge of a sponsored bill before the Senate, proposing the legalization of child marriage under any guise whatsoever.

Senator Saraki confirms that there is no direct bill expressly proposing child marriage or an indirect bill having a provision for that. Therefore it will be presumptuous to make any further pronouncement on this issue.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Distinguished Senator however said that if the information needed was the clarification about comments made by some senators during the voting on constitutional Amendment, then he cannot hold fort for the opinions of the other Senator on the provision relating to the legal age for capacity to renounce citizenship under the Nigerian constitution.

The Senator spoke further after numerous comments on his website and social media pages making his position clear; "What I can tell you is that one of the uppermost principles which I uphold as a Senator is the wellbeing and protection of children irrespective of their religious background or their social status. The girl child especially needs protection under our law, therefore any bill or legal provision which is aimed at promoting the rights of any child, the wellbeing of children generally, the prohibition of practices that inhibits the girl child and her potentials and the elimination of all forms of discrimination against any child will continue to receive my unflinching support.

Senator Saraki that during his tenure as Governor of Kwara State, Kwara was first of 19 Northern States to pass the Child Rights Act Domestic adopting the United Nations convention on child rights.

Saraki concluded by reiterating his earlier stand that any bill that seeks a contrary objective to the one portrayed above will receive his objection.

Bamikole Omishore
Special Assistant on Media And Advocacy to Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki