By Abdulsalam Alkali.
Fatima Muhammad’s dream of getting an education was interrupted in the most unexpected way.
One day in Sabon Gari, Zaria, Kaduna State, her father knocked on her door and told her she had a visitor. It felt unusual. When Fatima stepped into the room, she came face-to-face with a man and her husband to be. Shortly afterward, she was married. The union lasted only five months.
Now an adolescent mother, Fatima had dropped out of school in Junior Secondary School (JSS1), forced to abandon her education for a marriage she was unprepared for.
“I returned home with a five-month pregnancy,” she said, her voice heavy with emotion, yet her eyes reflecting resilience and hope.
“My father had strict rules. We were not allowed to speak to any man without his knowledge and approval,” Fatima added, still teary but composed enough to tell her story.
Despite the circumstances, her mother wanted her to remain in school. But her father’s resolve to marry her off at a young age prevailed. Fatima was given out in marriage to a family relation—a practice known in Hausa communities as Auren Zumunci (kinship marriage), often used to strengthen family ties.
Bruised, but Not Broken
Through Second Chance, Fatima is back in school, determined to rebuild her future.
She now dreams of becoming either a journalist or a lawyer, inspired by the impact of both professions. More importantly, she is determined to ensure that her daughter receives the education she was once denied.
“If God wills, I will finish secondary school and further my education. I want to become either a lawyer or a journalist,” she said, her face lit with cautious optimism.
Each morning, Fatima prepares for school with renewed purpose.
“I am glad to be back in the classroom. The environment is welcoming, and there are others older than me. There is no shaming or judgment,” she said.
She credits her mother for being her constant source of encouragement.
“My mother always tells me to pay attention and sit in the front row, and I do exactly as she says,” Fatima added. “It makes me happy to return to school after losing hope.”
Fatima’s return to education is already making an impact. In her community, she has become a source of inspiration for other adolescent mothers facing similar challenges.
“They admire that I went back to school, and I encourage them to do the same,” she said.
Fatima’s experience is not an isolated case, but part of a wider national crises especially in Northern Nigeria.
According to the UNICEF, child marriage remains a critical issue affecting the development and well-being of adolescent girls worldwide, with Nigeria ranking among the countries with the highest number of child brides.
In Nigeria, about 44% of girls are married before the age of 18, amounting to over 24 million child brides, placing the country third globally. Although more recent data shows a decline to around 30%, progress has been slow especially among girls from poorer households, rural communities, and those with little or no education.
Fatima’s marriage at just 15 reflects this troubling reality. Like many girls in northern Nigeria, her education was cut short, and she was pushed into adulthood long before she was ready signifying how deeply entrenched social and economic factors continue to shape the lives of young girls.
