For the past one week the facebook and other social medial were agog on the news of a marriage slated for 26/3/2017 by a young man who was about to marry two girls on the same date and day in Isoko Kingdom of Delta State. Marriage which is the legally or formally recognized union of two people as partners in a personal relationship between a man and woman, have been under the searchlight for some time now especially since prosperity churches has most of the cases deleted the word, ‘’for better for worse’’ from the program. In this way marriage is assumed that the two persons being joined together are matured enough to take decisions on their life affairs with ease and little family interference. As I was comprehending what was in the mind of these three persons namely Janet, Osioni and Emanuzo and their families, my mind went back to the days of Chief Dr. Obaro Aso, Major General Paul Omu and his revered wife, Senator Stella, General Ogomudia and very many other personalities of repute from the Isoko Nation.

It is a fact that marriage has been having hiccups in modern times, with divorce rates on the upswing, the bastardisation of the institution got to new lows when some students of Sa’adu Zungur Model Primary and Secondary School in Bauchi State decided to be joining themselves in what apparently is unholy matrimony, after the male students would have paid a token as bride price to their intended ‘spouse’. A newspaper reports that male students pay #500 as dowry to their female counterparts as precondition for their marriages, while classmates of both the ‘grooms and brides’ contribute money for refreshments at the ceremonies usually conducted secretly. Since evil left unchecked will multiply more evils, what broke the camel’s back in this school in Bauchi was when a Senior Secondary School 2 (SS2) student organized one of such illegal wedding in the school. The noise that followed stunned the teachers and the principal of the school who contacted the ministry of education. The state deputy governor, Nuhu Gidado, who oversees the education ministry has since ordered the school shut and set up a committee to look into the ugly development. Did anyone needs to be told why the north is getting poorer and poorer?

About six months ago, it was in faraway Zaire that a man wedded three women in a day in one of the churches. The pastor as usual found a verse that matched his wrongs on the pulpit. In marriage especially in African traditions marriage is highly respected and conducted with sense of responsibility. Sometime ago, a former president of a Students Union in one of our universities said that history must not remember one for positive things only but also on the path of negativity. The day marriage of two women by the young man was like Senator Dino Maleye who went to the senate committee on Ethics with academic gowns to defend his certificate. Rather than get applause for his behavior, Dino was bashed by Nigerians. In reality, Dino went to the senate with an academic gown worn by those in procession and not meant for area boys. It does not add any value to the ceremony. In Nigeria today, there are several children roaming the streets all over the country because their parents who probably have divorced could not cater for their welfare and they verge their anger on the society.

While I will not blame the trio of Janet, Osioni and Emanuzo for the act, ours is a nation where those who prepares for examinations do not pass vice versa. As the trio has made headlines locally, a Nigerian Doctor not quite long make international headlines by carrying out a surgical operations on a fetus, return it into the mother’s womb and after nine months, the child was delivered without any complications. The Sun and other notable newspapers reported in their publications of 31/3/2017 how a Nigeria Pilot, Ademilola Odujinrin made history as the First African to fly solo round the world landing safely at Washington Dulles International Airport. While the youths are making history through scientific and educational breakthrough these trio still confirms themselves to the whims and whams of village life. Former Nigeria president, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, former Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa, former premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, a financial expert of repute, Chief Senator Dafinone and his children that has been enlisted into the Guinness Book of Records as Chartered Accountants makes these world history but not based on numbers of women married daily.

This is the time for the traditional rulers in Isoko Kingdom to sit down and take a second look at this unwholesome behavior and think of a way of letting the youths know that beginning a life with polygamy has a way of bouncing back on the society. Juvenile behavior should be noticed early enough among children in order to have effective corrections of the situations. Isoko women should not just fold their hands to watch over this movie because two of their stuffs are pulling out of their numbers on the street. It is a fact and will continue to be a fact that Isoko women, when it comes to the marriage institutions are wonderful. They are highly stable in marriages and industrious like their Urhobo Counterparts. The idea of marrying two the same day by one man is a disgrace to womanhood. The sanctity of womanhood should be respected. The idea of parking women like Cray fish in a carton should be jettison by all lover of the marriage institutions. In the Baptist, Catholic, Anglican and some of the mega churches, the wedding will not take place in their churches but for some of the Pentecostal churches it is an opportunity to quote half of the Bible verse to suit the intention of the founder.

However, while is the writer of this article having sleepless night over the affairs of another man who wants to make history the way he and his wives wants it? While is the writer taking Panadol because of three people’s headache? Does it mean that the writer has no job doing? If he has no job why can’t he come so that I can employ him to be driving my wives to wherever they wants to go? Is the author of this piece trying to tell the world that the new man and his wives are responsible for the looting of Delta Treasury since 1999 when these democracy started, or I and my wives are responsible for the sale of Delta House Apapa Lagos to senator Nwaboashi? The author should know that no government agency has come after me and my wives for stealing government money since we have not worked in government agency for a day. By writing on me and my wives is the writer not trying to celebrating our marriages? However, to be honest the constitution of the country did not state how many wives one should marry daily and at the same time probably Isoko traditions supports it too. While I congratulate the young man as he lies in the middle of two birds every night, his action should not further increase the price of milk which is having a negative effect on all of us including the writer.