On her wedding day in 2015, Christiana Ebonyi displayed no joy. At merely 16, she was to be wedded to a man almost three times her age. This marriage was seen by her family as a glimmer of hope that their new son-in-law would alleviate their hardships.
For Christiana, now 26, it marked the onset of a life she never aspired to.
Reflecting on her past, she sat outside her thatched home last July, navigating the bittersweet memories of how her aspirations transformed into despair.
From a young age, she dreamed of becoming a nurse, contributing to her community in Abofia-Mgbo Agbaja within the Ndiachi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Yet, when pressured by her parents to marry at the age of 16, her dreams were shattered.
"My parents insisted on my marriage to benefit the family," she recounted in her local tongue, her voice tinged with regret and frustration.
Her impoverished parents hoped her union would provide them with assistance from her husband. She reluctantly abandoned her education at primary four to embark on the marital path, but that hope swiftly evaporated.
Her husband has endured numerous health problems, making it hard for him to support their family.
Faced with dire financial straits, Christiana, now a mother of five, turned to farming to sustain her family, carrying the burden on her shoulders and aging her prematurely.
"What I seek most now is aid to educate my children so we can rise above poverty," she emphasized with purpose.
Child Marriage in Nigeria
Defined in Nigeria as the union between individuals below the age of 18, child marriage has transitioned from a cultural norm to a strategy for survival in impoverished rural areas across the nation.
To relieve financial pressures, families unable to support their daughters are resorting to marrying them off at a young age, jeopardizing their education and future prospects.
A report from UNICEF indicates that girls from disadvantaged backgrounds and lacking formal education are disproportionately subjected to early marriage. In Nigeria, the prevalence is alarming, with nearly 25 million girls (44 percent) married before reaching 18, as reported by UNICEF in 2024.
Nigeria ranks third globally for child marriage, with four out of ten girls wed before turning 18.
According to the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), 13.1 percent of girls in Ebonyi were married before age 18, positioning it just behind Anambra with 13.4 percent as the states with the highest rates in southeastern Nigeria.
Boys Also Affected
Similar to Christiana, Njideka Nwankwo, married at 16 in 2013, shared her ordeal: "I was forced to marry because our family's situation was dire," she wept.
Another victim, Friday Uguru, recalls being pressured into marriage at 15 while still a student in JSS III. "I didn’t see how I could care for a woman or future children due to our family’s struggles," he recalled, maneuvering his parents' demands until he left his village to escape the pressures.
Now a motorcyclist, Mr. Uguru married at 36 and believes that resolving poverty is vital to eliminate child marriages in his community.
Community Responses
In early 2025, community leaders, including Christopher Chidiebere, enacted a ban on child marriage with fines and sanctions for violators. While Mr. Chidiebere claims compliance has improved, local perspectives suggest the practice persists under the surface.
Modern customs and land-sharing traditions further complicate the situation; unmarried males often cannot claim land allocations in the community.
Efforts to change these outdated norms are underway, with community leaders urging young people to prioritize education over early marriage opportunities.
Conclusion
The ongoing plight of child marriage in Nigeria remains firmly tied to poverty. Families often surrender daughters for marriage rather than fostering education, resulting in millions missing from school and suffering from its repercussions.
Emboldened by recent reports and statistics, stakeholders, including the Commissioner of Women Affairs in Ebonyi, are now pressed to enhance their advocacy and response to these grave issues, ensuring that children are safeguarded against such irrevocable affects.
This marks the first segment of a two-part investigative series exploring child marriage issues in Nigeria. The second part is forthcoming.
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