Managing marital issues

THE rate at which divorces take place in the country, particularly at the customary courts, is alarming.

Week after week, the media reports cases of divorce, many of them based on flimsy excuses.

A large number of the men seeking divorce are simply irresponsible. They fail to provide for their families. Many spend their money on concubines while their homes suffer.

On the other hand, while it is not here being suggested that women should stay put in marriages where their husbands are intent on taking their lives, one can say that most of the cases leading to divorce could have been better handled by the women concerned.

Many of the divorce-seeking women fail to guard their homes. They force their husbands to go astray, then blame them for reacting negatively. All of these problems can be effectively handled at the level of the extended family. Let us not abandon our culture.

• Sijuade Adeniyi

Ibadan, Oyo State