Nigerian Senator Marries a 13 a Year ...

Nigerian Senator Marries a 13 a Year Old Egytian Girl

 

Nigeria Senate has ordered investigation into allegations that one of its senators, Mr Ahmad Sani Yerima,  49, has married a 13 year old Egyptian girl after paying $100 000 as bride price. Mr Yerima, who as governor of Zamfara state was the first to introduce Sharia Law in 1999, is also reported to have married a 15 year old girl in 2006.

It seems Mr Yerima has a taste for spring chicks!

I am ignorant of the Sharia law that he helped introduce in his state or indeed what the Koran says about ‘child brides’ as a whole. I am neither a Muslim nor a Christian but I believe morality is universal. You don’t have to profess any religion to know that a 49 year old man who is a Senator to boot should be helping crafting policies and building schools so that kids can go to school and especially making sure that the girl child is not left behind.

It is numbing to imagine what kind of a wife a 13 year old girl can make to a sensible man three times her age , leave alone a 49 year old Senator who probably has kids older than the new ‘wife’. Mr. Yerima, what about having your own 13 year old daughter marrying a man your age for a change? Or it is only poor parents who have to bear the brunt of marrying off their children instead of going to school?

Nobody in his right frame of mind can even contemplate marrying a girl of that age. When I see a girl, 18 years old and below, I don’t see them sexually, I see them as innocent kids who should be loved and protected from sexually explicit content that can warp their still impressionable minds. But our honorable Senator thinks he should go ahead and act a real sex scene with a gal who is young enough to be his grandchild. What a shame! Marrying a 13 year old is not only robbing her child hood innocence but actually killing her dreams and denying her right to filial love, care, nurturing and parental comfort.

In my Kalenjin society in Kenya, men are allowed to marry young girls but not small enough to be their grandchildren. Secondly, you cannot marry a girl whose father is younger than you. It is a taboo for an old man to marry a girl who is younger than his own daughters. It is almost an abomination.  Mr. Yerima is simply a perverted punter.

How will Mr. Yerima relate with his 13 year 'wife'? In the African set up, children are regarded to belonging to society as a whole not individuals. So kids always look upon someone their father’s age as a father and they in turn reciprocate by treating them as they would their own children. This is Africa’s idea of society. So the 13 year old girl-wife will regard Mr. Yerima as father not husband and vice versa. Islam or no Islam. That is the pragmatic side of the equation.

What is a wife anyway? I thought a wife is somebody whom you can relate, guide each other, share life as a companion, share responsibilities, procreate and enjoy each other’s company. How many of these can our Honorable Senator do with his 13 year old ‘wife’?  My morality cannot allow me to imagine him in bed with that poor Egyptian child!  

Will Mr. Yerima proudly tug his prized Egyptian trophy to a state banquet soon?

I am not a doctor but I can just imagine the health implications of Mr Yerima consummating his $100 000 bride. Whatever angle you look at this act: religion, culture or otherwise, this is outright pedophilia and Mr Yerima should be behind bars as we speak. Or according to public court Sharia law, should be stoned to death!  

I pity this burly guy. As a Nigerian Senator, he is used to stealing money from state coffers and importing expensive cars, furniture and other chattel and wanted to sate his growing appetite with another sumptuous import: a 13 year old brand new wife from the oldest civilization and home to pharaoh; Egypt! What adventure money affords rich African rulers!

What is all the rage about rich Muslim men going for young Egyptian girls? In 2008, a 92 year rich old man from the Gulf wanted to marry 17 year old Egyptian lass! The Egyptian government was forced to enact a law that bars marrying of young girls by foreigners when the age gap is more than 25 years. There are exceptions though, if the husband-to- be deposits some huge money in the wife’s name, then the girl is his for the taking. The law simply restricts the luxury of young Egyptian thighs to rich geezers.

Nigeria too is not to be outdone when it comes to their ability to marry many wives. An 86 year old guy over there, Mohammed Bello Abubakar, is married to 86 wives and has 170 kids! Maybe our senator wants to keep up with the country’s reputation now that Mr. Bello is a doting granny. Maybe.

‘Child bride’ is a thorny issue in the Islamic world and its time they address it before it can taint the reputation of an otherwise great culture and religion. Saudi Arabia holds the trophy for that kind of notoriety. The record is a 60 year old guy marrying an 8 year old girl. Mr. Yerima has a record to beat here!  Commercialization of marriage in Islam is to be blamed. That is why most geriatrics going for younger girls are men of means.  The Koran seems to be silent on this .Saudi Arabia’s  highest religious authority, the Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Shaikh, ruled in 2009 that it was not against Islamic law to marry off girls who are 15 and younger. Saudi Arabia has greater authority in matters Islam than Nigeria. Mr Yerima could be religiously right but morally and legally wrong. The verdict will depend on what law the Nigerian Senate uses to charge him. In the public court, Mr. Yerima is guilty as charged.

Is it that the younger a girl is; the pricey it is in the Islamic marriage auction, just like chickens?