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Polygamy: Ooni and I serving Nigeria by having many wives — Ned Nwoko
• Ned Nwoko and his wife, Regina
On a lighter mood with lawyer and philanthropist, Prince Ned Nwoko, at his Idumuje-Ugboko country home in Delta State last weekend, the politician, who is contesting the Delta North senatorial election, spoke on some family issues, especially about men from the southern part of the country not marrying more than one wife, thereby pushing some women into prostitution, among others.
Talking about him and the Ooni of Ife having many wives, Nwoko said: “Let me tell you the similarity between me and the Ooni of Ife, apart from both of us having more than one wife, my grandfather and his grandfather were both in the House of Chiefs in the Old Western Region in the 1950s. They were part of the select few that went to London for the constitutional conferences.
“My grandfather and the Ooni’s grandfather and the then Olowo of Owo took many photographs together. So, the Ooni and I have that kind of common background, because our grandfathers were kings and served Nigeria in that capacity. And we are now also serving Nigeria by having many wives (laughter).”
Asked if he lives with all his wives or if they live in different, separate places, Nwoko replied: “No, no, no! That’s why when I was taking you round the palace, I said if it were in those days, I would have showed you some rooms where my wives would have been living. But my wives are big women too, in their own rights.
“So, they have their different homes. Two are in New York, in the United States (US), two are here in Nigeria and two are in Dubai. But sometimes, they meet here; here is the meeting point,” he said.
How then does he bond with his children living in different places and the children among themselves too? Nwoko explained: “Apart from all of us meeting here sometimes, I don’t travel with my wives together; I travel with one wife at a time. It’s only like once it happened that I travelled with Regina and Laila. But normally, I travel with the kids, the younger kids.
“I have 19 children now. My first child is 30 years old. Those with my first wife are all graduates now. In fact, my last child with her made a First Class last year in England. So, they are on their own; they are independent and go on holidays with their friends, not even with me or their mother who is a lawyer.
“My second wife is into business.”
Asked if all his wives are still with him, he said, “Of course, yes. It was only Laila that I had issues with when she went on holiday in London, but we are back together again; we are ok now.”
On his favourite wife, Nwoko explained, “Of course, the favourite is always going to be the last or latest wife (which is Regina). That’s a natural thing. You know it’s like if you have a new shirt, that is going to be your favourite one.”
Meanwhile, it would appear that Nwoko likes them fair, but not really, as he explained that his first wife is the same colour as him.
Though Nkoko’s first and second wives, and even his children, don’t like social media, it was Regina that actually introduced social media to him, “Am just tagging along,” he noted, adding, “It’s only Instagram that I use, which she opened for me, and of course, I have always known Whatsapp. I seldom post things on Instagram, but I have about 530 followers. I don’t do Facebook and it was only last week that I began to think of doing Twitter.”
On how he copes with trolling on social media, he recalled: “Sometimes, people post that I am marrying this girl or that girl, even when I don’t even know who they are talking about.”
Nwoko strongly believes men who refuse to marry more than one wife contribute to immorality in society, especially in the south, saying: “Many women are out there on their own without husbands, especially in the southern part of the country, and there is a high level of prostitution. What some of our girls do to make ends meet is regrettable and if our men emulate their northern counterparts by having more than one wife, that could probably change the situation.
“The average southern may have only one wife, but many girlfriends also, and he is spending his money on the girlfriends; sometimes even more than on his wife. The man who has three wives, for instance, concentrates on them and his children; every money he makes is spent on the family and he is more likely not to have any girlfriends or concubines. The money those with several girlfriends spend on them is a gift, not an investment in the family.”
He continued: “Beyond that, I hear southerners complain, saying how could the north, which is semi-desert and arid, be more populated than the south that is rainforest, with oceans, etc. But the answer is simply that the southerners are marrying one wife and giving birth to an average of four children, while the average northerner marries four wives and has up to 20 children.
“So, the south may never catch up with the north, in terms of population. We deceive ourselves by saying they are counting cows and cattle, which is not true, because they are actually counting human beings, their children from their wives.
“All you can now do is, if there is any law that stops you from marrying wives, it should be relaxed so that you can behave like your grandfathers and great-grandfathers who were very strong men before the advent of the whites, who came and told you it should be one man, one wife.”
On single parent, which is becoming popular among ladies now, he said, “it’s because of men who leave them and do not take care of them. If most of us in the south marry four wives, there will almost not be any prostitution business anymore, because they will be at home as wives.”
Asked what would happen when the man is unable to cater for them, he explained, “Look, I have drivers from the north who have wives. Are they, for example, earning more than you? Here in the south, some men have money to take girlfriends out and cater for them, but they don’t want to marry them as wives.”
As for Regina’s contribution to his campaign, he said: “I don’t really know, but we are both Anioma son and daughter seeking votes from Anioma people. So, it makes sense to go around together asking our people to give us their support. Probably that’s the difference between her and my other wives, especially as far as campaigning for political office is concerned.” (The Guardian)
News
Benin–Asaba Road: Umahi unhappy with concession deal, says ‘We played into Concessionaire’s hands’
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has asked the concessionaire handling the Benin-Asaba road to immediately write to the Federal Government through the Ministry of Works to enable it to terminate their contract on account of what he observed as poor handling of the road.
The minister also ordered the concessionaire to urgently remove all the blockages on the Benin-Asaba road to allow free flow of traffic.
Umahi made the appeal and issued the directive on Wednesday in Benin at a stakeholders’ engagement in Government House, Benin.
He said, “We are therefore pleading with you to give us written approval to proceed in this manner, we believe this is the way forward.
“Therefore, our directive going forward is that you should be removed from the site of this project, within the limits of our rights. You have added no value to the project,” he said.
He stressed that the Federal Ministry of Works should write to the independent engineer to request measurements of all the works that have been carried out, excluding what we describe as negative work.
“When you remove asphalt contrary to the contract and contrary to the specifications, that is negative work.
“It will not be recognised as part of the value of work done. In fact, the cost of rectifying the damage must also be established.
“Now, we want to plead with you, as the clients acting in the interest of the public, we do not believe that you currently have the capacity to reinstate the road.
“We have not stopped you from working, but if you continue doing what you are currently doing, we are not convinced that you will be able to avert the potential for public disorder in that area,” he added.
The minister, while suggesting ways to remedy the current hardship caused by the concessionaire, directed that the affected sections should then be reconstructed under the supervision of the independent engineer.
He also directed that the concessionaire to provide a technical design for proper stormwater canalisation, adding that this is very important.
He further warned that it should restore all the asphalt, redirect any water that has been channelled onto the carriageway, and restore free flow of traffic along the carriageway.
The minister said BAECC lacked the technical capacity and competent manpower required to execute and complete the project within the stipulated timeframe and contractual specifications.
“I want the public to know that by the concession agreement, we played into the hands of the concessionaire,” Umahi said.
The minister directed that the concessionaire be removed from the project site within the limits of the government’s rights under the agreement.
“Therefore, our directive going forward is that you should be removed from the site of this project, within the limits of our rights. You have added no value to the project,” he said.
Umahi said the ministry would write to the Independent Engineer to obtain measurements of all work executed, excluding what he described as “negative work”.
He clarified that the ministry had not stopped BAECC from working, but said allowing the concessionaire to continue under the current circumstances could worsen the situation and create the potential for public disorder.
The minister said BAECC could alternatively allow the government to engage a competent contractor to complete the project, after which the concessionaire could be given the right of first refusal to re-toll the road and recoup its investment.
Also speaking, the Director of Highway Planning, Ministry of Works and Technical Lead, Project Delivery Team for the HDMI Project, Mr Ebere Izunobi, attributed some of the project’s challenges to BAECC’s failure to comply with instructions from supervising officials.
Izunobi also alleged that the concessionaire used unqualified staff and engineers and unsuitable materials in executing the project, contributing to the poor quality of work.
Sen. Allwell Onyesoh, a member of the Senate Committee on Works, said those responsible for introducing the concession arrangement to the country had not served Nigeria well.
“The concessionaires and whoever pushed for this concessionaire did not mean well for Nigeria, and this is a big lesson about concessionaires in Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, not every concessionaire possesses the capacity required to execute projects of such magnitude.
Earlier, the BAECC Chief Executive Officer, Mr Samuel Daramola, appealed to the ministry to allow the company to continue with the project.
Daramola said the company had secured funds and upgraded its equipment and technical personnel, assuring that it could complete the project as scheduled.
“We don’t want to put money in the drain. We have upgraded our technical staff and we want the ministry to allow us to continue the project,” he said.
The Head of Legal and Compliance, BAECC, Mr Peterson Fabian, urged stakeholders to allow more time for further consultations on possible solutions.
“Every stakeholder here, do allow us to have more time to engage. I believe that we will have more pathways forward to further collaborate,” Fabian said.
Gov. Monday Okpebholo described the state of the Benin-Asaba road as a waste of resources, given the period already spent on the project.
“What we are seeing now is not what I should be seeing at this point after 16 months. Nothing has been done. To me, it is a total waste of resources,” Okpebholo said.
He urged the Minister of Works to take necessary action and find lasting solutions to the condition of the highway to ease the hardship experienced by motorists and other road users.
The Nigeria Police Force has invited social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, to provide evidence backing his allegation that some police officers at checkpoints collude with kidnappers and bandits.
The Force, in a statement on Thursday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Ani Iniedu, said it had taken note of comments made by Otse at the recent Nigerian Bar Association conference in Port Harcourt.
VeryDarkMan had alleged that police officers manning checkpoints along major highways identify wealthy travellers and relay information about their identities and movements to kidnappers, thereby facilitating their abduction for ransom.
Reacting, the police described the allegation as serious, unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to the institution.
The statement said, “The Nigeria Police Force firmly rejects these allegations as unsubstantiated and unfairly damaging to an institution entrusted with the protection of millions of Nigerians. Allegations of this gravity demand a corresponding standard of evidence, and that standard has not yet been met.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Police Force hereby invites Mr Martins Vincent Otse to produce, without delay, the evidence upon which he based these serious allegations, including any evidence that police personnel at checkpoints identify wealthy individuals and subsequently transmit information about them to kidnappers for the purpose of facilitating their abduction.”
The force said any evidence presented by the activist would be treated with urgency and thoroughly investigated.
It urged members of the public with credible evidence of police misconduct to approach the appropriate authorities rather than relying solely on public allegations.
The police maintained that officers deployed to checkpoints nationwide were assigned to prevent crime, detect criminal activities and protect citizens, rather than facilitate kidnapping.
According to the statement, police personnel routinely confront criminal elements and have suffered attacks and casualties in the course of their duties.
The police said, “Indeed, these same police officers routinely confront the very criminal elements alleged to be receiving such information. Police personnel have been ambushed, attacked and killed, while police stations, formations and operational assets have equally been targeted by terrorists, kidnappers and other violent criminals.”
The force also said that where individual officers were found to have compromised their duties, they would face internal disciplinary measures and prosecution in accordance with the law.
It, however, cautioned against blanket accusations that could demoralise its personnel and undermine public trust in the institution.
“The sacrifices of our personnel and the integrity of the institution will not be casually diminished by unverified allegations. Anyone with credible evidence of misconduct should bring it forward through the appropriate channels for investigation in accordance with the law.
“The force calls on members of the public to exercise responsibility in making and sharing allegations concerning national security institutions and to distinguish between legitimate criticism, which strengthens accountability, and unsubstantiated claims, which can endanger public trust and national security,” the police said.
President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting with governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The meeting, involving members of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), commenced shortly before 4pm on Thursday, following a separate session of the National Economic Council (NEC) chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
As of the time of filing this report, the meeting was still ongoing, with details of the agenda yet to be made public.
The engagement comes amid heightened political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections, eight days after the official commencement of campaigns in line with the timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It also comes five days after the APC released the list of members of its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2027 elections.
The campaign council is headed by former Zamfara State Governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, who was appointed Director-General.
The meeting between Tinubu and the APC governors is expected to provide an opportunity for discussions on political coordination, mobilisation and other issues concerning the party ahead of the 2027 elections.
The Progressives Governors Forum has remained a key platform for coordination among APC governors, while the President has continued to engage party leaders and elected officials as the party prepares for the elections.
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