The Federal Government has instituted a ban prohibiting underage girls from lodging in hotels, cautioning hoteliers nationwide against accommodating them in their establishments, with warnings of potential sanctions for non-compliance.
Minister of Women Affairs, Honourable Uju Ohaneye, read the riot acts on Saturday at the ‘Unlock Training and Grants’ ceremony in Abuja.
She said this was part of the precautionary measures to halt human trafficking, especially Nigerian girls.
She also extended the riot acts to proprietors of schools across the country, warning that they should ensure no student is allowed to be bullied by either teachers or students.
The Minister of Women Affairs remarks were on the heels of a trending video of Nigerian girls who were trafficked to Ghana for prostitution. The teenage girls were aged between 15-16 years.
They were reportedly beaten, molested, and forced into prostitution without pay.
While explaining their plights, the Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said the girls were rescued after a tip-off by NIDO, the umbrella body of Nigerians living in Ghana.
Aside from a ban on lodging of underaged girls, Honourable Ohaneye also said her Ministry was determined to stop premature deaths of Nigerians as hospitals would no longer be allowed to reject emergency patients.
She said; ”Women have been suffering in this country. Today, we have talked about allowing the poor to breathe in this country.
“Meanwhile I am sure you saw the video circulating about our girls taken to Ghana. Did you see it? Very good. Action will start on Monday. You will hear about our action first thing on Monday morning. That is the first I am going to approach and see what we can do about it.
“Nigeria must be better. From 20th (June), we have directed hotels to put a sign outside from the Ministry of Women. No lodging of underage girls. (Otherwise) what happened in Niger State will be an understatement to what will happen in the FCT and I mean it. No more lodging of underage girls and no more bullying in schools.
“And our hospitals will also put a sign of ‘No more rejection of emergency patients.’ These are some of the major issues we have in this country.”
However twitter and other social media handles have been buzzing urging the minister to also ban marriage to underaged girls especially in the North.