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Abstract

Nigeria has the eleventh highest incidence of early marriage – marriage before the age of 18 – in the world. This is problematic because early marriage has been shown to have significant health and socioeconomic disadvantages for girls. In 2003, the Child Rights Act (CRA) was adopted by the federal government of Nigeria. One of its provisions was a prohibition of early marriage. As of 2022, 25 of Nigeria’s 36 states had adopted the CRA. However, only 23 have adopted its minimum marriageable age provision without exception. This paper discusses the factors affecting the adoption of the CRA’s minimum marriageable age policy, arguing that although religion provides a legitimate perspective on adoption decisions, women policy actors have also played a significant role. This paper therefore both presents a more comprehensive approach to understanding this policy process and provides support for the presence and participation of women in policymaking as an effective approach to the problem of early marriage.

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