Nigerian men win right not to wear same outfit as their wives
14 Jun 2011
Unless he's a Massai warrior and likes dressing up like girls anyway
Photo Kevinzim
Lagos – Through a ruling in a Nigerian High court Nigerian men have been granted the right to refuse to wear the same outfit as their wives.
In the case brought before a Lagos judge, a new bride was seeking divorce from her husband on the grounds of Unreasonable Behaviour.
Presenting evidence, counsel for the wife showed the court several photo albums in which many adults including the wife were captured wearing clothes made from the same fabric.
In all the pictures the husband always wore a different outfit, and as his wife pointed out, he even intentionally chose to wear colours that would clash with the ASO EBI.
Sobbing as she gave evidence, the wife told the court: “It is as if he just wants to disgrace me all the time, my lord. Anytime we have an event to attend and there is ASO EBI, he refuses to sow his own even after I buy the material for him. One time that I even made his own he said he didn’t like the design of the material and because of that he didn’t wear it.
“Now when we go out to events, people don’t know we are married because he doesn’t wear the same material as me.”
Giving evidence in his defence the husband said: “My lord, it is true that I have intentionally avoided wearing the same outfit as my wife, but I wear my ring and I love my wife.
“The only reason I don’t wear ASO EBI is because ASO EBI in Yoruba means ‘Family Outfit,’ and in all the examples she has given, the people inviting us to the parties have not been our family. And besides, my Lord, it really makes me feel stupid wearing the same uniform as dozens of other people who don’t even all now each other.
“But more than that, my lord, due to the recent spate of kidnappings in the nation, I fear that if I wear the same outfit as the family throwing a big party, kidnappers might mistake me for one of the family members and abduct me for ransom. I do not want to put my wife through such torment.”
In delivering his ruling the judge castigated the husband for telling the court that he refuses to wear ASO EBI so that kidnappers won’t mistake him for the family of the celebrant.
The aged judge reprimanded him for this and instructed that in the future he should extend the same caution to his wife and make sure she also doesn’t wear ASO EBI unless it’s her family having the do.
- Oluchucks Adewaziri