“Men with many wives live longer than those with just one” — 91 year old man, Tanko Yakasai

91-year-old elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, who hails from Yakasai town in Kano State, in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Newspaper, declared that men with two wives or more live longer than those with only one woman in their lives.

Here are excerpts from the chat;

You have many wives and children. Many believe polygamy can reduce life expectancy. What did you do differently?

Those who believe that polygamy reduces life expectancy are wrong! They are not speaking from experience. Many factors influence life expectancy. In some countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, etc, there is the problem of poverty and illiteracy. Because of that, people are not able to take care of their children well.

I read an article on WhatsApp written by an expert. The article notes that those who practise polygamy live longer than those who practise monogamy. I agree.

How do you manage rivalry among your wives?

This is our culture. It depends on who they are. Sometimes, they manage to live together peacefully but sometimes, they quarrel among themselves. From my experience, what often leads to such a quarrel is the inability or refusal of the younger ones to submit to the leadership of the older ones.

But in some cases, they live peacefully with one another, such that you would not believe that they are married to the same husband.

Do you drink?

Alcohol? No, I only drink water and soft drinks from time to time but certainly not alcohol.

What are the lifestyle choices responsible for your good life?

This is basically from our genes. My grandfather died at the age of 105. My father died at the age of 96, while my mother died at the age of 87. Longevity is peculiar to our family. I still have well over 500 relations apart from my grandchildren.