President Bola Tinubu’s friend, Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti, claims that the indiscriminate marriage of numerous women and procreation by northerners is a major issue for Nigeria and a financial strain on the government.
This was stated by Mr. Fayose on Monday night during an interview on Channels TV.
When asked what he believed the government could do to help millions of Nigerians suffering under Mr. Tinubu’s leadership as the country gets ready for protests, Mr. Fayose cited the issue of many wives and indiscriminate childbirth as factors aggravating the population situation in the nation.
Mr. Fayose began by narrating how he learned of indiscriminate marriage and childbearing in Northern Nigeria. I visited one northern state. I would prefer not to disclose the state’s name. I spent three days there. I got to know the residents of the government housing where I stayed throughout my visit.
“I started talking to one or two folks when I was sitting outside. I inquired about the gateman’s tenure in government service. He claimed to have put in 26 years. I enquired as to his pay scale. It was tiny, N34,000, he remarked. I wanted to know how many kids he had. He mentioned sixteen. I inquired as to his number of spouses. “Four,” he said.
“My brother, the problem is inside,” he continued. For heaven’s sake, what can the government do with seventeen children when someone is making N34,000. We wish to avoid becoming impractical.
“Another person said he has eight children and three wives, with one of his wives still expecting,” the former governor of Ekiti said.
“We also need to do a lot for our people. It is challenging when people ask me what I would say to my children when I work in government—a government that is fighting for its life—and I have children. He asked, “What do I say to a man who has four wives and seventeen children?”
Following public outcry over ongoing economic challenges marked by a high cost of living crises under Mr. Tinubu’s leadership, Mr. Fayose made his remarks.
He contended that one year was insufficient for Mr. Tinubu’s administration to address a hunger situation that existed before he took office, pointing out that former President Muhammadu Buhari went eight years without any complaints regarding the nation’s hunger.
“This hunger began long ago, which is why there was a rally at one point demanding ‘Jonathan must go.’ Jonathan left, but that hunger persisted. Buhari came. I spoke to power. Buhari spent eight years, and nobody said anything. I don’t recall any rallies,” Mr. Fayose stated. “We all know that Nigeria is a very difficult country to govern. If a man is to spend four years, give him a mid-term.”
