The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado Doguwa has described as unfortunate reports in mainstream media and comments on the social media berating the appearance of his four wives during his recent swearing in and the fact that he has 27 children.
The lawmaker in a reaction on Monday said: “I’m not only disappointed, I’m disenchanted by the kind of reactions I received especially on social media on the day of my swearing in, simply because I brought my four wives with me to the floor of the House of Representatives. And I told the House that these people, these women are here to respect the institution of the House of Representatives”.
Many people especially women, had condemned the lawmaker’s action and accused him of “disgracing his wives”.
But Doguwa, who represents Doguwa/Tudun Wada constituency of Kano state, said that as a practising Muslim, having four wives is nothing to be frowned at because it is allowed and legitimate.
“I’m allowed by my religion to marry four wives, I’m allowed by my religion to marry and generate, to produce and reproduce. Every proud Muslim places prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), as his role model in actions and in thoughts. So as a proud Muslim, marrying four wives is in all ramifications imbibing the practice of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
“Let me even tell you, Muhammad (peace be upon him), in one of his authentic Hadith’s, (prophetic sayings) and one of the pronouncements that I know, once said and I quote: ‘O you who believe, believers in Allah, and those who believe in me’, says the prophet, ‘marry and generate. Go and marry and generate’, which means you can marry as many as the law permits.
“And the next commandment is that: ‘Go marry and generate, because I will be proud of your number on the day of judgement’. This is a challenge. A challenge for everyone, irrespective of his position, as long as he calls himself a Muslim,” he said.
Doguwa said that, he wondered why his number of wives and children would be a subject of ridicule, negative reactions and write ups on pages of papers especially by Muslims.
He particularly lamented over an article allegedly written by one Jamilah Abubakar in one of the national dailies condemning his action.
“The writer, presumably a Muslim, wrote a column attacking my personality; attacking my family. What I did on the floor of the House, for me, was an act of pride. For my four wives, it was an act of pride, and all of them went home very happy.
“It’s because I have control over them. I’m not a soldier, I’m a democrat, and for me to bring together my four wives to the floor of the House and they all played along with me in peace, that goes to confirm to you that I’m a reliable husband. I’m a just husband,” he added.
According to Doguwa, his father who died in 2019 left behind over 40 children, among them a child less than 4 years old.
“it’s not me that caters for them, God caters for everyone, He only uses human beings as agents, and I’m glad that God is using me as His agent to feed my entire family. To train them and take them to good schools which I’m doing.
“And catering for my family does not in any way deprive me of the privilege to also cater for the downtrodden in the society, and that is the secret of my coming to the House day-in, day-out.
“If anybody from the South looks at me somehow because that’s not part of their tradition, I’d understand, but I’ll be more disappointed if a Fulani, Hausa or a Kanuri woman will look at what I did with any sense of disdain,” he added.
The House Majority Leader therefore threatened to take legal action against anybody disparaging him or his family in the media.
“So I want to say with all sense of sincerity and seriousness that as long as I’m a free Nigerian, if anybody dares to write about me in this kind of a ridiculous manner, either about my family or my person, I’m telling you I’ll take it up. I must take it up, I’ll not take this lightly, and I want you to take this public,” he warned.
