“How husbands’ dereliction of duties fuels broken homes — Hisbah

Cases of broken homes, especially in Northern Nigeria, continue to increase across communities, with experts warning that the consequences are weighing heavily on children, family stability and social harmony.

Counsellors say many couples enter marriage without the proper understanding of how a household functions, leading to confusion, frustration and avoidable conflict.

SolaceBase carefully observed that despite growing public awareness of family values, the situation persists.

Analysts believe the lack of preparation before marriage and the erosion of cooperation between spouses contribute significantly to the problem.

However, the Deputy Commander-General of Kano Hisbah Board, Dr Mujahiddin Aminuddin, argued that a major cause of marital breakdown is the way some men gradually surrender all household responsibilities to their wives.

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He said many husbands do not truly understand how to run a home and therefore rely entirely on whatever their wives teach them.

He stated that, “Many people do not know how marriage works. A man might go shopping, and his wife tells him he didn’t do it correctly.

“Next time, he hands it over to her. He takes a child to school, and she tells him the school is not good enough. He pays school fees, and she says he didn’t pay early enough.

“He buys clothes for the children, and she says the quality is poor and later takes over the role herself,” he stated.

Dr. Aminuddin explained that over time, the husband unknowingly transfers every responsibility to his wife—from raising the children, to managing the home, to handling food and finances.

“Eventually, everything in the house falls on her shoulders,” he said, noting that women naturally have limitations and can become overwhelmed when burdened with tasks meant to be shared.

He warned that this imbalance becomes dangerous when the wife begins to hide problems out of fear or pressure.

He stated that, “If a child starts engaging in harmful behaviour, she might conceal it. By the time the issue becomes serious, she reveals it only when it is beyond control.”

He questioned how a father is expected to solve a problem he was never informed about.

“Is a father an angel? Is he a prophet?” he asked, stressing that the community often blames the man even though the wife had taken over every responsibility on her own until things fell apart.

Dr. Aminuddin maintained that many homes collapse because of this unhealthy pattern.

He advised men to understand that just as women will be questioned by God on their duties, men will also be questioned on theirs.

He urged fathers to uphold their responsibilities, share duties wisely, and avoid placing the entire burden of the family on their wives.