Ace comedian Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has weighed in on the topic of polygamy, saying it is often easier for men to maintain peace when their wives live in separate houses.
Speaking during an episode of The Clarity Zone podcast, the veteran entertainer explained that distance can help reduce friction between co-wives and maintain a healthier balance in polygamous homes.
"It's easier to marry women who don't live in your house with you. Those ones don't come to disturb the Iyale," Ali Baba said.
To illustrate his point, he narrated a story about a wealthy acquaintance with four wives and the challenges that arose among them.
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"This man has four wives, all four wives but one don't work. The one that works is a medical doctor and she has a thriving business, makes good money, takes what she wants and gives the rest to Oga. Oga then distributes to the other ones. The man still adds his own to it, but everybody is okay.
"Then one day the woman says, 'Oh, my son wants to go to Canada, that's where he wants to go to school.' And the other women say, 'My son is not going to Canada, your own is not going to Canada as well.' So she calls the man and says, 'I don't understand what these people are saying, that my son will not go to Canada.' She said 'okay,' then she stopped giving money to the man, and all the other women started fighting. Two left. When the two left, the other two that were remaining..."
Ali Baba further compared the situation to Nigeria's socio-economic landscape, drawing an analogy between the Niger Delta and polygamous households.
"That's the thing that's happening to Nigeria now. The Niger Delta is the one bringing the money. You take the money and share it to everybody. And when Niger Delta says, 'We need three bridges,' you say, 'No, we have to distribute the bridges around everybody. We can't give you three bridges yet.'"
He concluded by emphasizing that fairness and equity are essential in any polygamous marriage.
"Which is why they said that if you decide to marry more than one wife, you must treat everybody equally."