REPORTER'S DIARY:ONE MAN,ONE ROOM,TWO WIVES AND FOUR CHILDREN

By Niyi Tabiti

First, let us congratulate Hajia Bola Shagaya and ex-beauty queen,Helen Prest-Ajayi on their 50^th birthday anniversaries. Bola Shagaya is regarded as one of the richest women in Nigeria and she has business interests in oil, photography, banking and other areas. She is also one of the directors of Unity Bank Plc. Helen Ajayi on the other hand, won the Miss Nigeria beauty contest about thirty years ago and she still has the figure of someone who can still go on the runway and win the crown again and again.

Now, back to my diary. Well, I discovered that most of the things we call comedy in Nigeria movies are serious issues that must be tackled. They are real!

Iya Funke, my friend lives opposite the house of a man who has a room, two wives and fours children. I didn’t believe her until one evening when the two wives started fighting over who ate the bread on the table. People tried to settle the misunderstanding. I was shocked when the first wife started abusing her husband and the second wife, saying that she has been the one feeding the family for sometime.

The man is a commercial motorcyclist by profession (Okada rider) while the first wife is a petty trader, the second wife is a full time house wife. I was shocked to the marrows of my body when I learnt that the guy actually has two wives in one room. I even thought he had three children until I discovered that they are four children.I only see things like these in Nollywood movies until I saw it live!!!

“What manner of man is this”, I asked myself rhetorically. On my way home, I kept asking myself different questions, most of which I have not found an answer till date. Does this kind of thing still happen in this age and time? How do they have sex when the children are also there in the room? When he is having sex with the first wife under the watchful eyes of the second wife, what is her reaction?(At least,there would be no way they would be having sex that the other person won't know)

How will the man meet up with his responsibilities of taking care of the children with the meager sum he makes from his commercial motorcycle? What kind of children would come out of that kind of marriage? Is the man not ashamed at all? (I even saw him recently)…why are the two women so blind in love (or lust) that made the two women agree to stay in the one room with him?i mean..what manner of a man is this!