From Faith To Family: Alibaba Explains Why Polygamy Matters To Me

Speaking during an interview with Nedu, the comedian explained that marriages involving more than one wife tend to last longer because the sense of competition among wives encourages better behavior and understanding.

According to him, some men believe they may find it difficult to manage a single wife without any form of competition.

“Some people feel that if it’s only one wife, you may not be able to control her. But if she knows you have another wife, she will calm down, knowing that if she misbehaves, someone else is available,” he said.

Drawing on historical examples, Alibaba noted that in some parts of Ibadan, women once encouraged their husbands to take additional wives as a way to prevent infidelity and maintain harmony at home.

“I know of a woman in Ibadan who advised her husband to marry another wife. Back then, some women would even help their husbands find a young girl to marry, just to stop them from keeping concubines,” he added.

Alibaba also referred to traditional customs where a widow with young children could be married by her late husband’s brother, ensuring the family’s welfare and continuity — a practice he described as a form of polygamy rooted in responsibility and care.

“In some families, when a man dies and leaves behind a young wife and small children, his brothers may be asked who can take over the woman and look after her. If one of them already has a wife, that becomes a form of polygamy,” he explained.

He concluded by emphasizing that, although modern society often criticizes polygamy, it historically served important social and family purposes.