Veteran comedian Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, has shared why he believes in polygamy, saying it offers practical and cultural benefits.
In an interview with media personality Nedu, he said, “Some people feel if it’s only one wife, you may not be able to control the wife. But if the wife knows that you have more than one, she will calm down because she knows that if she misbehaves, another person is available.”
Citing examples from Ibadan, he added, “I actually know of a woman in Ibadan who encouraged her husband to be a polygamist. Most of them back then marry a young girl and gift her to the husband because they don’t want the man to have concubines.”
Alibaba also noted that traditional customs once allowed widows with young children to marry a brother-in-law for support, calling it a “culturally rooted form of polygamy.”
He concluded that while some criticise the system, “many overlook the realities of men who have children outside wedlock.”