Given the worsening economic difficulties in the country, Emir of Zazzau, ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, advised men who do not float financially to stick to a wife in order to raise a responsible family.
The monarch lamented how polygamy teared up families because the responsibilities of those who were in charge of these families failed.
Speaking at the 30th closing ceremony of the annual Ramadan lecture of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations (FOMWAN) in Nigeria, Emir said that simply because Islam gives men the right to have more than one wife does not mean that every man has the ability to serve his beneficiaries.
“In the palace, there are 192 families living in it, and you’ll see a man with more than 50 children; how does he cater to them?” he said.
He then called for a curriculum review in the Islamic education system to include girls’ Islamic rights.
According to him, this will change the narrative and build a better society.
He pointed out that a young woman, who was sentenced to two years in prison for not paying her debt, accused the judge of more complex social problems.
“The day I went to prison, I had only N200,000, but I was able to make sure I was freeing eight people,” he said.
He noted that the palace continued to use alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in marital issues, inheritance and land disputes, adding: “These issues are the bane of many families.”
In her speech, Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, deputy governor of Kaduna State, urged Ulama to encourage people to take on the responsibilities given by God.
“Our Urama needs to encourage men to take responsibility in the family, as it has been found that most of the responsibilities are now taken by women,” she said.
