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| Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido |
A former governor of Central Bank of Nigeria and the present Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, has said that he would introduce a law that will prohibit poor men from getting married to more than one wife. He also said that there is a connection between poverty, polygamy and terrorism.
He said because muslims are permitted to practice polygamous marriage, most poor men end up marrying up to four wives and produce as many as 20 children and fails to train them in schools hence, some of them end up as thugs and terrorists.
The Emir made this statement on Sunday at a muslim gathering on Sunday.
“Those of us in the [mainly Muslim] north have all seen the economic consequences of men who are not capable of maintaining one wife, marrying four. They end up producing 20 children, not educating them, leaving them on the streets, and they end up as thugs and terrorists.”
The emir further discussed different areas to be covered by the big law, which he said would be passed by the government of Kano state.
“The law will address what Islam says on marriage, it will outlaw forced marriages, it will make domestic violence illegal, it will put in conditions that you need to fulfil before you can marry a second wife, it will spell out the responsibilities of a father beyond producing a child.”
“It is a big law which covers a whole range of issues from consent to marriage, to maintenance to divorce, to maintenance of children and inheritance. It will be the first time in northern Nigeria that a Muslim law on personal status will be codified.”
