A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri, has opined that it is better for an individual to be polygamous than adulterous.
Omokri who served under the Goodluck Jonathan administration made the comment on Wednesday in reaction to the news of Nollywood star, Yul Edochie who announced his marriage to a second wife, his colleague Judith Austin.
Edochie who shares four children with his first wife, May Edochie, welcomed a baby boy with Judith in 2021.
Yul posted the photo of his new son and mother on his social media accounts on Wednesday and it has attracted numerous reactions.
Omokri who had kept mum over the matter was asked for a comment by one Uche Chuta who asked, “Oga Reno[Omokri], can we still say Yul is a Christian for doing this(marrying a second wife) especially as the Bible specifically says one man to one woman in the NT if I may add.”
Reacting, Omokri said, “In my personal opinion, I don’t think Polygamy is a sin. Scripture is crystal clear that God Himself gave David many wives-2 Samuel 12:8. Abraham, Jacob, and many Godly men were polygamists, and it was a regular way of life in Scripture amongst everyday people. For instance, Samuel’s father, Elkanah, was a polygamist-1 Samuel 1:2.
“Polygamy is only forbidden for Bishops, overseers and elders in the church-1 Timothy 3:2. Monogamy is a Western construct, not a Christian one.
“The modern marriage vow we use in Black Africa is a curse. It is not Scriptural. If you, Uche, can show It to me in Scripture, I will give you $50,000. And you know of my financial ability more than most people. It was adopted from Europe. It is very hard for a single woman to satisfy the libido of a normal man. And this is the reason we have such a high rate of what we call cheating in our society. Compare the rate of cheating in Europe and America, with that of Saudi Arabia and Jordan and my point becomes clear.
“Sadly, Black Africans have accepted this Western construct as a Christian one. Which is why we are now becoming tolerant of same-sex marriage, and are very intolerant of polygamy. Meanwhile, you find polygamy in Scripture-Exodus 21:10, and the very thought of the other is abominable according to Scripture-Leviticus 18:22.
“I will not counsel any man to marry more than one wife, but I will say that polygamy is by far better than adultery and fornication. But, these are my personal views.”