Let me try to explain this situation.
If a (wo)man earns N50,000... and he has no wife, no children, no responsibility he doesn't have to inherit from extended family, he will be able to pay his rent, eat well and live above poverty.
In three years, with a good for vacation in South Africa, Kenya or Egypt.
head on his shoulder and proper financial habits, he'll be able to go
Poverty is really about the mind, not about your wallet.
Poor people first become poor by making poor choices (e.g: getting married and having children when you have no business doing any of that).
Rich people first become rich by making smart financial decisions and accumulating wealth.
People who like to live comfortable lives continue to make choices that will ensure they achieve comfort.
It is not rocket science.
Nobody should be so poor that they need to sell a child to pay rent. Because people who cannot take care of children should not be having them.
I hope society evolves to a point where people understand that they do not necessarily have to run a family or have children.
I tell my children constantly that I would be happier if they travel all over the world, have great careers that make their heart skip, make good money to support their dreams, have very kind boyfriends, and continue to take exciting risks to fulfilment...than being married and raising children.
This is not life. This wife and children trap we are yet to question is not life for some people. The fact that everyone thinks in that direction shows that there is something not right about a human tradition that is yet to evolve with time.
These ones... they do not have to be married, and they don't have to have a child. They could have been happier running their individual lives - finding contentment selling beans or fixing bad tyres.
But the irony is, even in their dirt poor state, she'd still feel the need to fight off other women. You can't feed a child, you can't pay rent, but preek must be protected.
Written By Joy Isi Bewaji