Marriage has a prestigious and foremost
place in the Nigeria culture like in other Africa cultures, customarily, so
much importance is attached to the institution of marriage and it is normal condition
for both men and women. Marriage is a longing in the
heart of many girls, as an indispensable function to be fulfilled with as
little delay as possible after the age of puberty. So important was this
institution that an married
man or woman was considered as
incomplete and a few satirical
songs were composed for such group of
people in the Hausa
a culture, there is an adage that say a
man without a wife is like a big
tree without fruit Ibrahim 1998.
It is common to see marring being
contracted both under statutory law an customary law. The reason is that, even
in modern time marriage in Nigeria is seen as a purely family matter to which
family consent is needed prior to the marriage in Nigerian is seen as a purely
family matters to which family consent
is needed prior to the
marriage. This has resulted in
the existence of a plural law of succession
of property. In modern homes, family domination during the existence of
the marriage is less as, couples, due to urbanization and migration prefer
their extended family.
The
notion that marriage is
subconsciously or consciously regarded as a union between two different families
and not only the couple is displayed during the traditional marriage ceremony even when the parties to the marriage are matured adults.
Male cutters in Nigeria patriarchal, therefore
emphasizing male dominance. A country especially the Igbo cultural is Abia state
are matrilineal. The patriarchal cultural is greatly portrayed during
traditional marriage ceremonies at
least to the exclusion of the mother of the bride and the birder
CHILD MARRIAGE: was a common
form of marriage under the three cultures, which unfortunately, is still practiced in
some rural communities especially in
the Hausa culture in the northern state of Nigeria.
Under the practices a girl from birth was
bethroed to a man to whom
she will be formally married to between
the ages of eight and ten.
According to sabbatou (1998) in
answer to a question on the practice of child marriage
set father answered this, this practice existed before I was born and there
is no use complaining about it my
daughter listen to me, I married your
mother at the same age.