Man marries for the 201st time

2006-10-04 09:04

Aminu Abubakar

Sokoto - Sheltered from the scorching tropical heat by a cool breeze wafting from the branches of the mango tree under which he sat outside his old bungalow in Sokoto, Nigeria, 68-year-old Shehu Malami declared his resolve to content himself with his four wives after 201 marriages in 48 years.

Malami, who just recently solemnised his 201st marriage, said: "No more marriages for me, this is the end. I will retain my four wives to the end as long as another misfortune doesn't befall me."

In June 2004, Malami celebrated his 200 marriages, which coincided with the bicentenary of the Sokoto Caliphate with a promise never to marry again, but he couldn't keep his vow as he married another wife last week to replace a 40 year old spouse he divorced recently.

'I'm now a groom'

Short, bald and eloquent, Malami who was popularly called Maisaje' (the whiskered one), for the gray whiskers he kept, could be the world's most married person.

Now living in retirement, Malami's life had been characterised by "marital adventures".

Malami said: "I'm now a groom. I took my 201st wife a week ago, I'm on honeymoon.",

Alternating between flawless English and his native Hausa dialect, Malami recounted what he called "marital escapades" with ease, displaying a good memory.

He took his first wife, a divorcee, at the age of 20, two years after he had dropped out of secondary school. The marriage, which didn't receive the blessing of the couple's parents, could not survive its first anniversary.

'I would go for voluptuous women'

His next two marriages, also to divorcees, didn't last despite general acceptance this time.

Malami said: "I have an exceptionally high taste for women and my sexual urge is quite strong. I would always go for voluptuous women because women with sagging bosom would not excite me."

Despite his strong libido, he blamed his incessant marriage-and-divorce adventure to misfortune and his older wives who would instigate any woman he married to leave for a younger man.

He said: "All my marriages were done with good intent, but I encountered misfortunes.

"For instance, four of the women I married were already pregnant from other men when I married them and I had no option, but to divorce them when I realised it because I could not live with dubious wives".

"I later came to understand that my older wives were also responsible for my divorces.

"They would, out of jealousy, tell any beautiful young woman I married that she didn't deserve to marry an old man like me as young and beautiful as she was while young and handsome men would do everything to have her as a wife."

- AFP