Nigeria Man Who Has 57 Wives, 150 Grandchildren Says, "I Paid The Bride Price For All My Wives"

Chief Simon Odo alias Onuwa, a herbalist, is based in Aji village, Enugu-Ezike, Igboeze North Local Government Area, Enugu State. In this exclusive interview with Daily Trust on Sunday, Onuwa, who boasts of 150 grand children, says he will not count the number of his children until he stops procreating.

 Excerpts below:

How do you describe yourself?

My name is Simon Odo alias Onuwa in Aji, Enugu-Ezike. My nickname is King of Satan. If you go to my cars, you will see the inscription: King of Satan.

Why do you answer King of Satan as your nickname name?

King of Satan means that I am a traditionalist. I’m not a Christian anymore. I was baptised as a Christian in 1956. And I was a mass server between 1959 and 1960 and the evil and wicked people who didn’t want me to live, poisoned me with ukwaranta (whooping cough) which I suffered for five years.

Thereafter, somebody kept poison for me and I marched on it. Consequently, my right thigh (he pulls his trousers for the reporter to see the deep scar on his lap) got lacerated for five years and I was taken to another place for medicine. So I decided to embrace the traditional way of life and I survived the sickness. When the enemy wanted to terminate my life, I was still single. So I survived the king of Satan. What I don’t do is bad medicine. I don’t go near human blood at all. That’s why I married 57 wives. My grandchildren are 150 in number.

Did you say 150?

Yes, I said 150.

Did you pay bride prices before you married your 57 wives?

Ok. I’m coming. (He enters the inner room and reappears with a book containing names of his wives and children). You know our community has taboos, if you go into fornication or adultery in our place, your children will be condemned or you may go mad. Here are the names of my children and my wives. The names of my wives covered two pages of the notebook – Igbo women are there, Yoruba women are there, Awka in Anambra, every tribe is there. Now, coming to your question, as tradition demands.

Above that, there are some of my in-laws, I bought cars for and also built comfortable houses for them. Some of my mothers- in-law I built a bungalow for. The wife that is next to my junior wife, I dashed her mother Peugeot 406 car. I spend as from N300,000 upward whenever I’m going to marry. I don’t marry from big (rich) families. I marry from the poorest families so that I can help them.

If I want to marry a woman and she tells me that she is from a well-to-do family, I won’t marry her again. I suffered a lot in this life. As you hear the story of Job in the Bible, I suffered like Job. This snuff I am taking now, I started taking it in the year 1960 when I was in Standard Three. The cough poison which the evil people inflicted me made me to drop out of school at Standard Three.

I hope you know that Standard Three is not Elementary Three? Whatever I’m telling you is the truth because you came all the way from Enugu, which is a very far distance, to come and interview me and so I will not like to tell you lies.

People say that your wives live like sisters from the same mother. What’s the secret?
It’s not just that they live like sisters from the same womb but they eat from the same plate. They cook in the same pot. My wives don’t fight, they don’t quarrel. If any of them fights, I sack her without wasting time. And when I sack the person, I wouldn’t go asking for the things I spent on her head as bride price.

Has any woman left you under such circumstance?

If I sack my wife, I remarry. About seven have misbehaved and I sacked them. But if the wife I sacked should repent and beg for forgiveness, I remarry her.

How do you fend for a large family of over one hundred members?
Whatever question you want to ask me, don’t shy away from such question, and I’ll answer you. Don’t ask me indirect question. The way I take care of my large family is simple. Thankfully, those I saved their souls, helped to solve their numerous spiritual problems, usually come to do thanksgiving here. And they help me a lot. If you look round the compound, you will see vehicles parked inside which they dashed me after I had solved their problems. It is my destiny to help people. And it’s God that solves their problems, using me as an intermediary.

How many children do you have?
I don’t know the exact number of my children. I don’t want to count them until I stop procreation.

Are all of them going to school or do you train them in other skills?
All of them go to school. I encourage them to go to school, except if they don’t have the brain for that. Yet, you must have a skill in my family. If you don’t have a skill, that means you don’t want to be useful and I will chase you out of my family. Of course, nobody steals here. You can’t be in my house and decide to steal. Stealing is forbidden in my family. That’s why no matter the size of my family, you can’t see any member of this family stealing. If anybody from this family steals, the person knows the punishment I will give him or her-I will kill the person.

Do any of your children want to become herbalist?
 
None of them is showing such interest. They are not showing interest in my kind of occupation. All I need to do is to bless them so that God will help them in whatever they do. But I emphasise to them, never steal anybody’s thing. If you steal, I will denounce you as my child.

Isn’t it surprising that none of your many children, either male or female, is showing interest in what you are doing?
 
In the first place, I did not learn this occupation. It’s my God’s gift to me. Many of my children are pastors in The Lord’s Chosen Charismatic Church. Many of my children are Christians. But I used to tell them that whatever anybody is doing, don’t allow abomination to come into it. Don’t use it to perpetrate injustice or falsehood or impunity.

Who are your patronisers?
 
Those I help are many. When politicians who are aspiring to positions come to me for help, I usually pray for them. But I must emphasise to them that if God helps them to get to the positions, they must govern well and they should not misbehave with the public offices entrusted in their care. But where the person gets into office and begins to misbehave, I am not to blame, I only prayed for him, I am not God who gives position, I‘m not God who controls the affairs of men.

Shocking and surprising right?