A yodele Fayose, a former Ekiti governor and ally of President Bola Tinubu, has voiced strong criticism of the practice of marrying multiple wives and having many children in Northern Nigeria, labeling it a significant problem and a burden on the government.
During an interview on Channels TV on Monday night, Mr. Fayose addressed the issue while discussing ways the government could alleviate the suffering of millions of Nigerians under President Tinubu's administration as citizens prepare to protest.
Highlighting the impact of these practices on the country’s population crisis, Mr. Fayose shared an anecdote from his visit to an undisclosed state in the North. “I was there for three days and became familiar with people around the government house where I stayed. I asked a gateman how long he had been in government work. He said he had spent 26 years and earned a small salary of N34,000. When I asked how many children he had, he said 16, and he had four wives,” Mr. Fayose recounted.
He continued, “If somebody is earning N34,000, what can the government do with 17 children? We don’t want to be unrealistic. Another person said he has eight children and three wives, with one of his wives still expecting. A lot has to be done with our people too. When you have children and go into government, a government that is struggling to survive, it is difficult to address this issue.”
Mr. Fayose's comments come amid public outrage over the prevailing economic hardships characterized by a high cost of living crisis under Mr. Tinubu's administration. He argued that one year was too short for Mr. Tinubu’s government to fix a hunger crisis that predated his presidency, adding that former President Muhammadu Buhari served eight years without protests over hunger in the country.
“This hunger started a long time ago. That was why there was a rally at one point demanding ‘Jonathan must go.’ Jonathan left, but that hunger did not stop. Buhari came. I spoke to power. Buhari spent eight years, and nobody said anything. I don’t remember any rallies,” Mr. Fayose said.
He concluded, “Nigeria is a very difficult country to govern. We all know that. If a man is to spend four years, give him a mid-term.”
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