' Nigerian advises against 86 wives'

BBC News posted a story today about an 84-year-old Nigerian man, a local healer, who has 86 wives and "at least" 170 children.

Yes, that's crazy, and even Mohammed Bello Abubakar doesn't recommend anyone following his example.

Abubakar is interesting, but the wives really caught my attention. I mean, what woman in her right mind would agree to join a harem of 86 women?

One woman said, "I am now the happiest woman on earth. When you marry a man with 86 wives you know he knows how to look after them."

Maybe it's me, but do you detect a bit of the Stepford wife in her comment?

Another said that she married Abubakar when he healed her of a headache. I mean, don't they have aspirin in Nigeria?

Can you imagine having this man as a father? If you're one of 170 kids, when do you get to spend quality time with dad?

170 kids?? That's a lot of sex going on. Do the wives get jealous? When does Abubakar have time to do anything else? I bet there's a lot of wifely celibacy going on. (Maybe they'd be interested in my book, Sensual Celibacy??)

How do you feed such a large family?

What about relations among siblings? My two children fought like crazy when they were growing up. I can't imagine the sibling rivalry in a family where "at least" 169 of your brothers and sisters are vying for dad's limited, elderly attention.

I really am for cultural respect and understanding, but on this one, I fold. I just don't get it.

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