Just 4 Rubies

...Expectedly, the police held her in the women’s section of the Abidjan prison for nearly a year before the women rights groups prevailed on the then President,  Henri Konan Bedie to free her, at least until her trial. Fanta’s case then galvanized women’s rights activists to press the government to publicize a 30 year-old law that outlaws early and forced marriage. What then is the ideal age for marriage? Mrs Alaba Ajayi, a lecturer at the school of Nursing, Orthopaedic Hospital, Igbobi, Lagos says that, “Considering the social, physical and environmental developments that affect our daughters, it is better for them to wed between age twenty-five to twenty-seven so that within the first ten years, they can have their babies. Citing several examples from her wealth of experience in teaching and counseling, she noted that, “From the day of wedding, a lady usually plans for two to three children. The fourth often comes as a mistake. It is therefore better to have them early an

One reason why this practice prospered then was because many of girls were complete homebodies who were neither sociable nor got involved in any form of job or schooling.  With the advent of modernization however, which has also embraced education, Muslims now believe in raising and educating their wards, whether male or female. Today, a Muslim girl may not marry until she is in her late teens. Even then, there is a standing caveat. Islam allows that the father gives her out in marriage, even without her consent. This is because at this stage of her life, it is believed that she is not matured enough to know the right man from the right family and with a good background. Hence it is the duty of a father to arrange a partner for her daughter. Another school of thought, based on the views of some experts on Islamic law holds that, “although the Koran teaches that a girl can be married as soon as she can conceive, the religion does not condone forcing girls into wedlock.” A

  Is there an ideal age for marriage? Is there a deadline, especially for the female gender? Considering the increased spate of child marriages and its attendant emergency adulthood, one cannot but wonder when exactly a girl child should sign the.dotted lines; whether she does so voluntarily or she is forced. “I think you should find someone suitable once you clock 25” says Mrs. Yinka Adu, the medical director of Adams Clinic & Maternity Home, Alagbole, Akute. Her reasons are fundamental, bothering on the safest time for procreation and motherhood but not everyone would subscribe to her opinion. A mother once came into her 22 year-old daughter’s room and engaged her in a thorough lecture on why she should prepare to leave for her husband’s house soon. "You’ve got to raise your own home. At least, I have tried my best in providing you with some measure of education. You already have your Ordinary National Diploma (OND). I see no reason why your man cannot take