It ‘ll cover northern states, Emir insists
By Aliyu Askira
Kano
The one-man, one-wife proposal in the northern states, being advocated by Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi 11, has come under criticism from a group of widows, who believe such a policy if passed into law, will encourage prostitution.
Rather, the widows are canvassing a law that would mandate wealthy individuals to marry more than one wife.
However, the opposition is coming at a time the royal father is insisting that the planned law is put to work across the Northern Region.
The emir, who is not unaware of the torrent of criticism that has greeted his position, postulated that there is nowhere in the Holy Quran where the poor, who can hardly afford a wife, should go for two or more.
Sanusi, had at a forum, advocated for a one-man, one-wife policy for some category of men, and assured that he would sponsor a bill in the Kano state House of Assembly to that effect.
Kicking against the emir’s advocacy, the Association of Widows, Divorcees and Orphans, Kano state chapter, said the planned bill to be forwarded to state House of Assembly by the monarch, will only end up promoting prostitution.
The group’s chairperson, Hajiya Atine Abdullahi, made the association’s position known in an interview with Blueprint in Kano.
Hajiya Abdullahi was one of those that worked with former Governor of Kano state, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to introduce the Hisbah Mass Marriage Programme as a way of reducing prostitution in the society.
While expressing the association’s misgivings on the emir’s position, she lamented that Kano, which has more than one million divorcees, would now come up with a law prohibiting men from marrying more wives.
She said: “I have tremendous respect for the Emir because he is vast in Islamic and Western education. But today, if you go to any average home, you will discover that if there are two or three boys in the house, you will have six to eight girls.
“If you say somebody should not marry more than one wife because he is poor, who then will marry our girls that are today roaming the street without husbands.
“Yes, I have no quarrel with the pronouncement by the Emir that people should allow their daughters to finish school or to mature properly before they marry them off.
I have also no quarrel with the fact that our ladies should be allowed to marry a man of their choice, which in most cases, will lead to a longer marriage.
“But for you to say a poor man should stay with one wife, this means you have condemned him to poverty for life. It is God that gives and it is God that decides who to be poor and rich.”
According to her, the proposed bill, if passed into law, “will definitely breed moral corruption, prostitution, and all manner of bad social vices. If you are listening to the radio, you will almost on daily basis, hear of arrest of commercial sex workers by Hisbah. What is causing all these? “It is because some of these girls have come of age and they have nobody to marry them. So, they, of course, take to drugs or prostitution.”
As an alternative, the widows “suggest that the Emir should present a bill to the Kano state House of Assembly, and as well as all northern states to sponsor such bill that will compel anybody that is comfortable, like emirs, governors, senators, political office holders and businessmen, to marry at least three wives or more, instead of sponsoring a bill that will stop people from marrying more than one wife.”
Her association, she added, “has over the years, been working hard, hand in hand with Kano state government, donor agencies, internationally and locally, through seminars and workshops, to educate our women on how to make success of their marriages.
“I cannot stop thanking former Governor Kwankwaso for introducing the Hisbah mass marriage programme, being sustained by the Ganduje administration.
“The exercise over the years has assisted the poor to settle down, and government through the exercise, also use to provide them with all household items, including money and food stuff.”
No looking back – Emir
But reacting to the spate of criticisms following his position, Emir Sanusi said, he would advocate similar law in other northern states.
He spoke while addressing Hisbah management staff and senior Council of Ulamas at the kano Central Mosque.
He said, “there is nowhere in the Holy Quran where it is stated that if somebody cannot generate or afford to feed his family daily, weekly or monthly, he should marry more wives. People are still of the believe that it is God that provides for families, whether the head has the capacity to cater for them or not.
“Let me tell you clearly the position of religion on such issues. If you reach the age that you suppose to take a wife and you don’t have the means, all you need to do is to stay single continue to fast and pray for God to open opportunities for you so that you can settle down. It doesn’t mean that when you are single, whether man or woman, you should fornicate.” The monarch promised to liaise with his fellow traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the North to ensure they also sponsor such bills in their states.
He recalled that “most of us felt bad in 2015 when the wife of former President Jonathan, Mrs. Patient Jonathan, referred to us as people who give birth to children anyhow and throw them on the streets. It’s painful and she was not supposed to say so, since not all northerners are throwing their children on the street. But we have to accept this fact and today, I am taking a step to correct the situation.
“Let me call on well-to-do northerners, like emirs, governors, business men, senators and all those that are financially stable to marry more wives. If poor man marries one wife and rich people marry three to four wives, the issue of surplus women will be reduced. This, I will personally take up the matter with the state government to embark on campaign for rich people to marry more wives.”
“Another issue of concern to me is how people force their female children into marriage before they finished their education. The past administration in the state put serious emphasis on education, especially girls’ education, the Ganduje administration is also continuing with this policy.
“On my part, I will also insist that parents must allow their daughters to be properly educated before getting married.
“The Hisbah mass marriage programme initiated by Kano state government is one of the ways that other sister northern states can introduce, so that it will assist those that are poor to be able to get married. Under this exercise, couples are provided with all necessities that will assist them to settle down. I am very impressed by this, as such, we, who are in the position of leadership should take it upon ourselves to come up with laws and policies that will sanitize our society,” he further pleaded.
