Former Nigerian education minister Oby Ezekwesili has called on governments to enforce 18 as the minimum age of marriage, Channels Television reported on Sunday, October 11, 2026. Her appeal came as Nigeria marked the International Day of the Girl Child.
According to Channels Television, Ezekwesili directed the message at authorities and framed it around the protection of the girl child. The report did not include further details of her remarks.
Coverage of the day across Nigerian outlets focused on the pressures facing girls. Amnesty International said poverty drives child marriage and pushes Nigerian girls out of school, according to The Guardian Nigeria News. Sahara Reporters reported that a Nigerian group used the occasion to call for a campaign against sexual and domestic violence. TheCable published a piece arguing that every girl should be free to dream, and Premium Times Nigeria also covered Ezekwesili's message.
The minimum marriage age has been a recurring subject in Nigeria, where activists have long argued that enforcement matters as much as the law itself. The statements released for this year's day tied the issue to schooling, poverty and violence, presenting them as connected obstacles to girls finishing their education.
What to watch next is whether federal and state authorities respond to the call with any concrete enforcement measures, and whether the groups that marked the day follow up with organised campaigns.
