‘How I Survived Early Marriage’ – Aisha Buhari

The first lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari has shared how she was able to survive early marriage.

President, President Buhari married Aisha when she was just 18 years old in the year, 1989 and she had to work hard to make the marriage work.

This was contained in her recently launched book titled, ‘Aisha Buhari: Being Different.’ According to her, the future was unknown to her when she got married as a teenager, however, but her spirit of optimism won as she was able to conquer fear and worries.

The book was authored by the senior special assistant to the president on administration and women affairs, Hajo Sani and the portion that talks about her marriage read;

“In many villages in northern Nigeria, educating a girl is not considered a priority. In fact, early marriage affects every eighth girl. According to UNICEF, one in seven girls is reported to give birth by age seventeen The easiest justification for this practice is that it serves as a strategy for reducing the burden on the family. It is also viewed as a way of protecting the sanctity of the girl-child. Another report shows that child marriage occurs more frequently among girls who are the least educated and poorest, and who are living in rural areas.

In 1989, the young lady, Aisha Halilu, got married to Muhammadu Buhari, a retired Major General and former military Head of State of Nigeria. Marriage as an institution moves at an undulating pace, full of uncertainties. The ability to surmount the challenges and move on to an unknown destination is crucial in marriage. Aisha, like any other girl-child married as a teenager, faced the challenges of adapting to womanhood.”

Import from Daily Trust was used for this report.