Given the worsening economic hardship in the country, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, has advised men who are not financially buoyant to stick to one wife in order to raise responsible families.
The monarch lamented how polygamy is tearing families apart because the heads of the families have failed in their responsibilities.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 30th edition of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) annual Ramadan lecture, the emir said just because Islam gives men the right to have more than one wife does not mean every man is capable of catering for his dependants.
“In the palace, there are 192 families living within and among them, you would see a man with over 50 children; how can he cater for them?” he said.
He then called for a curriculum review in the Islamiyya system of education to include the Islamic rights of girls.
This, according to him, will change the narrative and build better societies.
He accused judges of compounding societal problems, citing an example of a young woman who was sentenced to two years in prison for not paying a debt of N6,000.
“The day I went to the prison, I had only N200,000 on me but I was able to secure the release of eight people,” he said.
He noted that the palace continues to use Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in matrimonial issues, inheritance and land disputes, adding that, “These issues are the bane of many families.”
In her remarks, the deputy governor of Kaduna State, Dr Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, urged the Ulama to encourage the men to take up their God-given responsibilities.
“There is the need for our Ulama to encourage men to take up their responsibilities at the home front because it has been discovered that most responsibilities are now taken up by the women,” she said.