Nigeria aka Naija has a place called the Niger Delta. And they have a group there called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). Nice name, especially considering what they are trying to do. And no it’s not a political party. This group, it is believed, started life as unorganised youth who were armed by corrupt politicians and some members of the Nigerian security forces to help in rigging elections and stealing state resources such as oil. Now the tide has turned. The young men, after realising that beating up their parents and siblings for the coins thrown at them by the politicians was not in their best interest came together to fight for themselves and their people against these same greedy politicians and their unwholesome alliance with foreign companies which had been brought in to help loot the Delta.
I first heard the story of this man on BBC World Service radio. It was amusing the way the folks at the BBC seemed to be amazed at this. One man having 86 wives and over 170 children. Incredulous? Well, what can’t happen in the west does happen everyday here in Africa. In Ghana, you can marry all you want and no one can challenge the legitimacy of what you’ve done. Just make your marriages traditional marriages and its ok.
For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s about this man in Nigeria who, saying he’s been blessed by God to be able to perform his duties- both to wives and 170 kids. I wonder if he’s able to recall their names when addressing them.