Former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, has called on the Federal Government and state governments to enforce 18 years as the minimum age of marriage across Nigeria, warning that child marriage continues to undermine girls’ education and the country’s human capital development.
Ezekwesili made the call in a statement on Sunday to mark the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, urging African governments to strengthen access to education and protect girls from early marriage.
She said Nigeria has 23.6 million women and girls who were married before the age of 18, describing the figure as the highest in West and Central Africa.
The former minister also raised concerns about the prevalence of child marriage in parts of northern Nigeria, particularly Jigawa State.
According to her, 78 per cent of women aged 20 to 49 in Jigawa were first married before turning 18, while 63 per cent of women left school to get married.
Ezekwesili stressed that governments must work with traditional and religious leaders to ensure that the minimum marriage age is enforced both in law and in practice across communities.
Ezekwesili Calls for Greater Investment in Girls’ Education
Beyond enforcing the minimum marriage age, Ezekwesili urged governments to remove financial barriers that prevent girls, particularly those in rural communities, from progressing to secondary school.
She identified school fees, uniform costs and transportation expenses as some of the obstacles that limit girls’ access to education.
The former minister also highlighted the connection between foundational literacy and school retention, warning that girls who struggle to read and understand basic texts are more likely to fall behind academically and eventually drop out.
“A girl cannot stay in secondary school if she never learned to read,” she said.
Ezekwesili cited estimates indicating that 89 per cent of children in Africa experience learning poverty, meaning they cannot read and understand a simple text by the age of 10.
She called on governments to make foundational learning a child-protection priority, ensuring that every girl can read with comprehension by age 10 through proven teaching methods.
Africa Urged to Strengthen Funding for Girls’ Education
Ezekwesili also called on African governments to increase domestic funding for girls’ education amid declining foreign aid.
She urged authorities to monitor girls’ learning outcomes, their transition to secondary school and child marriage rates to measure progress and identify areas requiring intervention.
According to her, improving access to quality education and keeping girls in school are essential steps towards reducing child marriage and expanding opportunities for young women.
She further called on African governments to place girls’ education and school retention at the centre of the African Union’s decade of accelerated action for the transformation of education and skills development in Africa.
Child Marriage Poses Significant Economic Costs
Ezekwesili warned that child marriage has far-reaching economic consequences, citing estimates that the practice could cost the global economy up to $175 billion annually and nearly $2.5 trillion by 2040 through lost productivity and increased health risks.
However, she noted that progress is possible, pointing to estimates that 68 million child marriages have been averted over the past 25 years.
She also said each additional year of secondary education reduces a girl’s likelihood of marrying before the age of 18 by five percentage points or more.
The former minister urged governments to combine stronger enforcement of minimum-age marriage laws with sustained investment in education, literacy and policies that enable girls to remain in school.
Ezekwesili concluded that African governments must prioritise the protection, education and development of girls, stressing that every girl should have the opportunity to learn and lead rather than be pushed into early marriage.
“Any girl-child should be a student, not a bride. She should learn, then lead,” she added.