The emir was reported to have said on Monday that the Kano State Government was preparing a law to make it mandatory for men seeking to marry second wives to satisfy certain conditions.

A statement issued on Wednesday by MURIC’s Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, and made available to newsmen in Ibadan, said the move was in conformity with the provisions on marriage as contained in the Holy Qur’an.

MURIC said, although Islam allows a man to marry up to four wives, the permission was meant to provide security for widows and other unmarried women.“It is an open secret that women outnumber men in all parts of the world.

“Islam therefore permits men to marry more than one wife in order to provide shelter and welfare for those women who would have been left single.

“In the first instance, the Qur’an enjoins those who do not have the capacity to maintain even a single wife to abstain from marriage until they can become economically strong enough.

“ The Qur’an also allows a man who already has one wife to take a second woman, a third or even a fourth but with the condition that such a man must have sufficient means to care for them all,’’ MURIC said.

MURIC said that what the Kano state government was trying to do was to give interpretation to the verses of the Quran.

“This becomes necessary in view of the fact that many Muslims misinterpret the Quran by marrying more than one wife when in reality they cannot even maintain one wife comfortably.

“The result is the production of children who end up as social miscreants,’’ MURIC said.

MURIC commended the vision and courage of the Emir of Kano as well as the forthrightness of Kano state government for evolving “this great idea.”

The group called on other states which have Muslim majority population to emulate the policy, as it is capable of reducing poverty, raising standard of living and increasing the number of literate citizens.