Northern Nigeria's child marriage surge stems from lack of schools and jobs for girls, not culture, says Kano's Emir.

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, says the lack of secondary schools and vocational training for girls in northern Nigeria is a primary driver of child marriage, not culture. Speaking on Channels Television, he explained that without safe, accessible education or economic opportunities, poor families marry daughters early out of fear they’ll face pregnancy or danger traveling to distant schools. He criticized weak enforcement of child marriage laws and government failure to provide basic infrastructure, stressing that ending the practice requires investing in education and social services rather than blaming tradition.