Public analyst Hayatu has advised young men who intend to practise polygamy to consider marrying a second wife within the first five years of their marriages.
According to him, taking a second wife earlier could make it easier for the first wife to adjust to the arrangement, compared with introducing another woman after several decades of marriage.
Hayatu shared the advice in a post directed at young men, drawing from what he described as his own experience with polygamy.
“Dear young men, if you intend to be polygamous, marry your second wife within five years of marriage. With this, the first wife will not be too bitter or difficult to handle. Once you make the mistake some of us made by staying for decades, you shall not be getting it easy,” he wrote.
His comments have drawn attention to the emotional and family challenges that can arise when a man decides to take another wife years into an existing marriage.
Polygamy remains a subject of discussion in Nigeria, where its acceptance and legal implications depend partly on the type of marriage contracted. However, taking another wife can have significant emotional, financial and domestic consequences for everyone involved.