Former Minister of Education, Obiageli 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 deprive girls of education and limit the country's development.
Ezekwesili made the call in a statement marking the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child, urging governments to strengthen legal protection for girls and improve their access to education.
According to her, Nigeria has an estimated 23.6 million women and girls who were married before reaching the age of 18, the highest number in West and Central Africa.
She highlighted the situation in Jigawa State, where 78 per cent of women aged 20 to 49 reportedly entered marriage before their 18th birthday, while 63 per cent of women left school to marry.
The former minister stressed that ending child marriage requires more than making laws. She called for stronger collaboration between governments, traditional rulers, religious leaders and communities to ensure that the minimum marriage age is enforced in practice.
Ezekwesili also urged authorities to address the financial barriers preventing girls, particularly those in rural communities, from continuing their education.
She identified school fees, the cost of uniforms and transportation expenses as some of the challenges that can prevent girls from progressing to secondary school.
According to her, improving literacy among young girls is also essential to protecting them from early marriage. She called on governments to prioritise foundational learning and ensure that children can read and understand simple texts by the age of 10.
Ezekwesili further urged African governments to increase domestic funding for girls' education and monitor school attendance, learning outcomes and child marriage rates.
On the economic consequences, she cited estimates suggesting that child marriage could cost the global economy up to $175 billion annually and nearly $2.5 trillion by 2040 through lost productivity and increased health risks.
She noted, however, that progress is possible, pointing to estimates that 68 million child marriages had been prevented over the past 25 years through education, legal reforms and social protection.
The former minister 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.
She maintained that girls should have the opportunity to complete their education and develop their potential rather than be pushed into marriage before adulthood.
Her appeal comes amid renewed calls for stronger child-protection measures and greater investment in girls' education across Nigeria and other African countries.
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