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WINET moves to end child, forced marriages in Ebenebe Community in Anambra State
BY: Sandra Ani
Women Information Network, an Enugu based Non-Governmental Organization, recently consolidated its campaign targeted at ending community acceptance of child and forced marriages in Ebenebe community in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The one -year project is a product of a baseline survey carried out by WINET in 2016 to determine the veracity of the information within its disposal that Ebenebe was among the communities endemic with child marriage.
The baseline survey did not only reveal the truth but also disclosed the many factors responsible for this, top among which was the cultural practice called “Tum, Num”, a tradition which compels a man or boy who impregnates a girl to marry her, regardless of age.
This was identified as being in violation of the provisions of the Anambra State Child Rights Law 2006, which prohibits child marriage and betrothal among other protective provisions, put together in the overall interest of the child.
WINET had earlier organized separate dialogues with the men, the women, the male and female youths of the community to teach them the provisions of the Child Rights Law, CRL of Anambra State of 2006, which many of them had contravened ignorantly.
A town hall meeting was also organized recently for all the segments of the community already trained to advance the course of the campaign, which has as its title “The Right to be a Girl”.
Addressing the gathering, the Executive Director of WINET, Mrs. Miriam Menkiti, appreciated the measure of support the organization had enjoyed from the locals since the commencement of the campaign.
Represented by Mr. Nnadozie Oshigbo, the WINET Executive Director re-echoed the essence of the project, funded by a Spanish Non- Government Organization, Mundo Cooperante, which is to abolish the practice of “Tum, Num” in Ebenebe, as it undermines the dignity of the teenage girls, who most often are forced into marriage, even against their interest and consent.
She explained that the campaign is not to undermine the culture and tradition of the people but to help the society to catch up with the realities of the time.
Mrs. Menkiti charged the people of the community to work together to abolish the traditional practice of “Tum, Num”, which derails especially the young girls from pursuing and fulfilling their dreams and ambitions in life.
The WINET Executive Director pointed out that the event was to validate all the commitments made by various gender groups during previous dialogues.
She further explained: “The overall goal of the project is to end community acceptance and practice of girl child and forced marriages in Ebenebe. The practice of Tum, Num whereby some girls under eighteen years are given out in marriage or forced into marriage is prohibited by Anambra State Child Rights Law 2006. At the end of each of the dialogues, the girls, male youths, women and men agreed on some of the practices that the Anambra State Child Rights Law prohibit. Today, all of you as community members have gathered to validate those things you agreed on during the dialogues to confirm that your community will no longer encourage girl child and forced marriages”
The Legal Consultant to WINET, a former Solicitor General and former Chairperson, International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA in Anambra State, Barrister Mrs. Tina Emekekwue, explained to the people that every child has rights and obligations under the constitution of Nigeria, especially under the Child Rights Law, CRL, and such rights must be respected.
She enumerated the rights to include: the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which forbids parents from imposing their will and choices on their daughters especially the teenage ones.
She further explained:
“The right to dignity of the child says nothing should be done to affect the dignity of the child negatively. Rather, help him or her to be somebody in life, who you can proudly call your child. Every child is free from any discrimination no matter the circumstances of birth. Whether given birth to in the house of the father of the girl or abducted or otherwise. A child has right to education, freedom of association, right to private and family life, right to survival and development. The child equally has right to dignity and should not be maltreated for any reason. Even the unborn child has right to be protected against harm, and none should encourage abortion as it is a contravention of the law. A child also has right to parental protection and maintenance. Also, a girl child is forbidden from Female Genital Mutilation, FGM”.
The President General of Ebenebe, Hon Paul Nnatuanya, who was represented by the Secretary, Mr. Charles Onyebuchi, extolled WINET for the campaign and appealed to everyone in attendance to spread the good news across the nooks and crannies of the community.
The President General also charged parents to stop at nothing in ensuring that their children grow to become useful to themselves, their families and the society at large.
The occasion featured question and answer session while the people again pledged their commitment to ending “tum num”, which fuels forced marriages among teenage girls.
With the momentum on display across gender divides in the community about the project, Tum, Num may soon lose its appeal and efficacy as the Anambra State Child Rights Law has made better provisions for the protection of the girl -child particularly those who are being coerced into marriage at their teenage ages.
News
Badaru on Operational Tour of 82 Division, other Military Installations in Enugu and Imo States
The Honourable Minister of Defence H.E Mohammed Badaru Abubakar CON mni is currently in Enugu on operational tour of 82 Division of Nigerian Army and other military platforms in Enugu.
He was received on arrival by the General officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army / Commander JTF SE of operation Udoka Major-General H.T Dada and other senior military officers.
The Minister is expected to meet with South East stakeholders on the way forward.
Details later…
Tinubu has granted full oversight responsibilities to Ministers of State over agencies under them amongst whom are Minister of State for Defence Dr. Bello Matawalle, Water Resources and Sanitation, Minister of State for Agriculture and others will henceforth enjoy full oversight responsibilities over such agencies.
President Bola Tinubu at FEC Meeting has approved that ministers of state be given full powers to supervise the agencies under them, the cable reported.
Until now, files pertaining to departments and agencies under their supervision were sent by their permanent secretaries to the senior ministers.
With the new dispensation, ministers of state can now grant all necessary administrative approvals on the governance process of these agencies and departments.
According to a source in the office of the head of service of the federation, “the president was not pleased with the prevailing governing framework in which ministers of states were just ministers in name”.
This, Tinubu reportedly said, led to the “underutilisation of the expertise and capabilities” of most ministers of state.
“The president believes ministers of state should have the right to make decisions and direct action within their areas of responsibility,” the official added.
According to the Cable report, the source said the idea, first mooted by Hadiza Bala Usman, special adviser to the President on policy coordination and head, central delivery coordination unit got an instant buy-in from the President.
With the new directive, the administration hopes “to unleash” the potential of all the ministers, the source added.
…It’s unprecedented to earn above minimum wage in Enugu- Labour
… We’ll commence implementation immediately- ALGON
Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has approved N80,000 minimum wage for the state’s work force, including local government workers, effective October 2024, noting a direct link between a motivated workforce and his administration’s vision of growing the state’s economy from $4.4bn to $30bn.
The new minimum wage covers all state employees, primary school teachers, and local government workers.
Organised labour has described the wage as unprecedented, as it was the first time that Enugu workers would be earning above the national minimum wage.
Mbah announced the new minimum wage on Thursday after a meeting with the Enugu State Minimum Wage Implementation Committee headed by the Head of Service, Kenneth Ugwu and labour leaders, including the state’s labour leaders.
Mbah said, “Few weeks ago, I inaugurated a committee with the responsibility to oversee the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage in Enugu State. Today, I’m happy to announce a new minimum wage for workers in Enugu State, reflecting our fidelity to their welfare, in regard of which we have been resolutely committed.
“We have approved the sum of N80,000 as the new minimum wage in Enugu State. This underscores our commitment to bequeathing lasting legacies of improved living conditions.
“Our commitment to improved workers’ welfare runs deep, and is rooted in the firm understanding of the inextricable link between an inspired workforce and the audacious economic targets we had set our sights on.
“We clearly understood that reducing poverty to the barest minimum and achieving an unprecedented economic growth target were contingent on the output of the workforce. Therefore, for us, the best way to acknowledge that labour creates wealth is by ensuring that the workforce, which creates the wealth that oils the wheel of government, is sufficiently motivated.
“We have similarly demonstrated our commitment to workers welfare through the consistent payment of the wage awards, a gesture we had pledged to sustain until a new wage structure took effect.”
Speaking, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Fabian Nwigbo, thanked governor Mbah for always prioritising the welfare of workers, describing the new minimum wage as “a great one for Enugu workers.”
“In the past, when minimum wage is announced, it takes up to one or two years for anything to happen; and when it did, we took anything they gave us as we saw it. But today, you have even given us something much higher than national minimum wage.
“But I am not totally surprised because when other governors were paying N12,000 wage award, you were paying us N25,000. When others paid for some months and stopped, you continued paying it until the new minium wage as you promised. So, we have enjoyed wage award for 11 months and today you announced the minimum wage which is the first of its kind since my 32 years in service,” said.
Speaking to Government House correspondents, the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the Trade Union Congress, TUC, Comrade Ben Asogwa, said, “We are so happy. The governor did not just announce ₦80,000 minium wage, but said that it cascades down to even local government workers. He said that he does not want disparity in salary implementation in Enugu State anymore because we all go to the same market.
“This is the first time in history we are seeing the implementation of minimum wage above the approved amount by the federal government. Actually, when we entered into the negotiation, we were afraid because we know quite well that we are not among the states that share in dividends of oil money. We know quite well that we are at the back when it comes to federal allocation, but His Excellency actually surprised us.
“One thing we have seen is that he understands the impact of motivation on productivity. The governor has set a pace and we know that any other person coming after him will have the challenge to meet up with the target set by His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah.”
On his part, Chairman of the Association of Local Government Workers, ALGON, Enugu State, Hon. Okechukwu Edeh, pledged the commitment of council chairmen to implementing the new minimum wage.
“When you motivate workers, they become more productive. What I am promising on behalf of the Enugu ALGON family is that we are going to cascade the new minimum wage to the local government level. Implementation begins immediately,” he said.
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