Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, on Tuesday veered out of political correctness to spark a debate that can ruffle feathers in some quarters regarding what is at the root of the insecurity ravaging northern Nigeria.
In a post shared on X, Olayinka questioned the rationale of low-income earners marrying multiple wives and fathering dozens of children they cannot afford to feed or educate, identifying unregulated polygamy and child abandonment as primary drivers of insecurity.
He wrote, “This is one problem the North must begin to solve now. There is no reason a man who cannot properly take care of one wife and two children should marry three wives and produce fifteen or seventeen children.
“Many of today’s terrorists and bandits were once innocent children roaming the streets, hungry, uneducated, and forgotten.”
Unchecked Polygamy and Child Neglect Fuel Insecurity Concerns in Northern Nigeria — Lere Olayinka
The Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication and Social Media to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Lere Olayinka, has called on leaders and communities in northern Nigeria to urgently address the growing problem of large, poorly supported families, warning that the trend could worsen insecurity if left unchecked.
Olayinka made the remarks while commenting on the increasing number of vulnerable and abandoned children seen roaming major streets in Abuja, the nation’s capital. According to him, the issue of child neglect and uncontrolled family expansion is one that the northern region must confront decisively.
He argued that individuals who lack the financial capacity to adequately cater for a small household should refrain from marrying multiple wives and raising very large families.
“There is no reason a man who cannot properly take care of one wife and two children should marry three wives and produce fifteen or seventeen children,” he said.
Olayinka expressed concern that many of the young people currently involved in banditry and terrorism across parts of the country were once vulnerable children who grew up without access to education, proper care or parental guidance.
According to him, such children often spend their formative years roaming the streets in search of food or alms, a situation that exposes them to exploitation and criminal influence.
“Many of today’s terrorists and bandits were once innocent children roaming the streets, hungry, uneducated and forgotten,” he said.
He further warned that children abandoned to fend for themselves could grow into adults driven by anger and desperation, creating long-term security risks for the society.
Olayinka said the situation is particularly visible in the Federal Capital Territory where young beggars, often carrying plastic bowls, are frequently seen on major roads.
“Each time I see them on major roads in Abuja carrying plastic bowls, my questions are always: how did they get here? Who are their parents? What will these unaccounted children become in the future?” he asked.
While acknowledging that government policies play an important role in addressing poverty and social welfare, the FCT Minister’s aide argued that parental responsibility must also be part of the national conversation.
He noted that government alone cannot resolve the issue when individuals deliberately expand their families far beyond what their income can sustain.
“I am sure some people will still come here to blame the government. But what can the government do in the case of a gate-man earning about N60,000 a month but having four wives and seventeen children?” he queried.
“Abandoned children, like these ones, will certainly grow up angry, desperate and dangerous,” the Minister’s spokesman warned.
