By Stellamaries Amuwa
The National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) Nigeria has called for urgent government action to end child marriage, warning that millions of Nigerian girls remain exposed to early pregnancy, preventable health complications, interrupted schooling and lifelong economic disadvantage.
The council made the call to mark the International Day of the Girl Child, urging federal, state and local governments to enforce the minimum marriage age of 18, strengthen child protection mechanisms and provide targeted support for vulnerable families.
In a press statement issued in Abuja under the theme, “End Child Marriage and Invest in Girls’ Rights,” the NCWS said Nigeria could not meet its commitment to ending child marriage by 2030 without adequately funded interventions, effective enforcement of existing laws and sustained community engagement.
Citing UNICEF figures, the council noted that more than 24 million Nigerian women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday, placing the country among those with the highest numbers of child brides globally.
According to the 2023–2024 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, as reported by UNICEF in 2025, approximately 33.4 per cent of women aged 20–24 were married before turning 18. The prevalence approaches 50 per cent in the North-East and North-West, according to figures cited in the NCWS statement.
The organisation stressed that child marriage should not be treated as a private family matter or an issue affecting only particular religious, ethnic or geographical communities. Rather, it described the practice as a national development challenge requiring a coordinated response.
The NCWS identified poverty, limited access to essential services and inadequate protection for vulnerable children as important factors sustaining early marriage.
Figures from the Federal Government of Nigeria and UNICEF, cited by the council, indicate that girls from poor households are considerably more likely to marry during adolescence than those from wealthier families.
The health consequences can be severe. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that adolescent pregnancies carry increased risks of complications, including eclampsia and serious infections, while babies born to adolescent mothers face greater risks of prematurity and low birth weight.
The council also highlighted obstetric fistula, a debilitating childbirth injury associated with prolonged or obstructed labour. Affected women may experience lasting medical complications, stigma and social isolation.
