The Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamali, has advised Muslim men who are not financially buoyant to consider marrying only one wife.

His advice follows the worsening economic hardship in the country and the struggle in raising a family with limited resources.

The monarch raised concerns over the impact of polygamy, which he believes is tearing families apart due to the failure of the heads of the families to fulfill their responsibilities.

He made this known during the closing ceremony of the 30th edition of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association in Nigeria (FOMWAN) annual Ramadan lecture.

According to the emir, just because Islam gives men the right to have more than one wife does not mean every man is capable of providing for his dependents.

“In the palace, there are 192 families living within and among them, you would see a man with over 50 children; how can he cater for them?" he said.

He appealed for a curriculum review in the Islamiyya system of education to include the Islamic rights of girls, which will change the narrative and build a better society.

The emir of Zazzau also called out judges for compounding societal problems. He cited an example of a young woman who was sentenced to two years in prison for not paying a debt of N6,000.

“The day I went to the prison, I had only N200,000 on me but I was able to secure the release of eight people,” he said.