BREAKING: No More Lodging Of Underage Girls In Hotels — FG Warns Hotels Owners Nationwide

BREAKING: No More Lodging Of Underage Girls In Hotels — FG Warns Hotels Owners Nationwide

The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to hoteliers nationwide, cautioning them against accommodating teenagers and underage girls in their establishments.

The Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, delivered this message during the ‘Unlock Training and Grants’ event in Abuja, where 200 young entrepreneurs were awarded N100 million in total.

The initiative, spearheaded by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Technical, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Education, Abiola Arogundade, aims to support youth in their entrepreneurial endeavors.

Incidents such as the one in January 2023, where students from Federal Government College in Ijanikin, Lagos, attempted to house their female classmates in hotels for illicit activities, highlight the importance of this warning.

These students, aged between 14 and 17, were reportedly sneaking out of school premises with their female peers, prompting concerns over their safety and behavior.

Furthermore, a disturbing event in April 2022 involving a 15-year-old boy and teenage girls trying to gain access to a hotel room raised further alarms.

The Minister emphasized that such actions would no longer be tolerated, extending the warning to school proprietors to ensure the safety and well-being of students under their care, protecting them from any form of mistreatment or harassment.

She said, “Nigeria must be better. From 20th (June), we have directed hotels to put a sign outside from the Ministry of Women. No lodging of underage girls. (Otherwise) what happened in Niger State will be an understatement of what will happen in the FCT and I mean it.

“No more lodging of underage girls and no more bullying in schools.”

The Minister also mentioned an ongoing investigation into a distressing case involving 10 Nigerian teenagers rescued from Ghana, where they were reportedly trafficked for prostitution.

According to reports, Three of the victims, ages between 15 and 16, who happened to be from the same parents, were beaten, molested and forced into prostitution with no payment.

The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed that these girls were saved following a tip-off from NIDO, an organization representing Nigerians in Ghana.

Reacting to the abuse, Kennedy-Ohanenye, however assured that swift and decisive action would be taken by the government in response to this troubling situation.

“Women are suffering in this country. Today, we have talked about the need to allow the poor to breathe in this country.   

“Meanwhile I am sure you saw the video circulating about our girls taken to Ghana. Did you see it? Very good. Action will start on Monday. You will hear about our action first thing on Monday morning. That is the first thing I am going to approach and see what we can do about it,” she fumed.