Baba Segi isn’t a bad husband on purpose I guess but rather because he’s clueless. He doesn’t treat his wives terribly but because of his ignorance, Baba Segi doesn’t really know how to make them happy and content. Part of the issue is that his wives tend to lie to him instead of having honest conversations about his shortcomings.

Augoye, Jayne (2018-05-21). " "The Secret Lives of Baba Segi's Wives" to hit London Theatre". Premium Times . Retrieved 2021-06-10. Bolanle’s mother worked hard to educate her daughter and save her from a life of polygamy and dependence. She cannot understand why her daughter has chosen such a fate. But Bolanle hides a terrible secret—a secret that will unwittingly exposes the deception and lies, secrets and shame upon which Baba Segi’s household rests.Phillips, Barnaby (2014-09-10). "The top 10 books about Nigeria". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-03-31. Tope’s father worked on one of Baba Segi’s farms and he arranged their marriage as a result of a crop failure which put him in arrears with Baba Segi. She too dreams of independence but her ideal situation doesn’t involve money or other assets. Instead, she would like the freedom to live a simple life where she can once again experience the freedom she felt at having her hands in the soil.

Tichenor, V., 2005, 'Maintaining men's dominance: Negotiating identity and power when she earns more', Sex Roles 53(3/4), 191-205. [ Links] Ewing, Paul (2018-06-18). "Theatre Review: The Secret Lives Of Baba Segi's Wives". Londonist . Retrieved 2021-06-10. Nostalgia is an Extreme Sport: An essay from the collection, Of This Our Country". HarperCollins . Retrieved 12 October 2022. Cassava Republic Press, Nigeria, published Shoneyin's third poetry collection, For the Love of Flight, in February 2010. [18] Mayowa and the Masquerades, a children’s book, was also published by Cassava Republic, in July 2010. [19] T]o enjoy a human being means you should recognize the other person as a fellow individual whose worth as a human being is equal to yours and with whom you undoubtedly share basic values, ideas and sentiments. Thus, the main intent of the maxim is to point out the worth of a human being and the respect that ought to be given to her by virtue of her humanity. (pp. 25-26)This is a grown man in his 40s who isn’t sexually inexperienced but there’s just so much that he doesn’t know about the world or himself. He’s able to complete the mission despite being out of touch with his own body. But he then feels a sense of shame as he worries about what his family, friends, or employees might think. I sympathized with him because it showed that while his wives were going through their issues, he is as well. And none of them are talking to each other about their internal hardships or insecurities. Baba Segi doesn’t strike me as a bad guy but he’s trying to fit the expectations of what his society tells him a man should be even if he doesn’t quite understand why or this isn’t really who he is or wants to be. Baba Segi is a patriarch, comfortably off but not rich, unsophisticated and boorish but not brutal, sexist but not misogynistic. In return for a home, financial support, and the dubious privilege of sharing their beds with him on allotted nights, the "four wives" of Baba Segi cook, clean up after and pamper him, massaging his ego. Iya Segi, Iya Tope and Iya Femi look after their children, while the newest wife, graduate Bolanle, anxiously waits to fall pregnant, since it's taken for granted by all that childbearing and parenting is a woman's raison d'etre. Baba Segi is chuffed to have an educated wife, but Bolanle's mother is furious with her daughter for throwing herself away on such an oaf. Bolanle's sensibilities do seem out of kilter with her chosen lifestyle (for example, when they first meet, Baba Segi takes Bolanle's reading a novel in his presence as a personal insult) so what's going on? The reason is revealed, but it's only the first of many secrets that come to light in the course of the novel. Much of its appeal is the pleasure of juicy gossip, but the gossip is generally painful and serious, and dealt with sensitively. Strauss, C., 2004, 'Is empathy gendered and, if so, why? An approach from feminist psychological anthropology, Ethos 32(4), 432-457. https://doi.org/10.1525/eth.2004.32.4.432[ Links]

Witte, J. & Alexander, F.S., 2012, Christianity and human rights: An introduction, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. [ Links] As he and Bolanle go through the process of fertility testing, Baba Segi’s limited understanding becomes more evident. Bolanle goes through the required tests and they now need him to undergo testing as well. It turns out that Baba Segi has been sexually active with his wives and understands the basics of how to conceive a child. But for the most part, his sexual experience has been less motivated by pleasure and more by his overwhelming desire to have as many children as possible. He’s not concerned with being a good lover to his wives or even enjoying himself. Conceiving children is the mission and he’s focused on getting the job. Something pretty interesting here which also exists in the real world is that often any fertility issues are assumed to be on the part of the female. Men and women contribute to conceiving a child but an outsized proportion of responsibility for reproduction and raising children falls to women. Sure, Baba Segi already has children so one would assume that he is fertile. But biologically speaking he’s now a middle-aged man and it’s been a while since one of his wives has been pregnant. It’s natural for people’s bodies to change over time. Yet, he’s caught off guard at the idea that he would also need to be part of the assessment of their fertility as a couple. I go like if dem shoot Baba Segi Netflix series for Ibadan' ". BBC News Pidgin . Retrieved 2023-03-31. The book has been adapted for the stage and the play of the same name received a five star review from The Guardian. [6]

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Also, Iya Segi’s anger in the beginning about marrying Baba Segi and her money given to him did not ebb as she plotted on how to leave him. She was the only one in that household who worked, had shops, and made money. Orange prize for fiction 2011: the longlist - gallery". the Guardian. 2011-03-16. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 2023-03-31. Nigerian women who #pressforprogress in arts". Pulse Nigeria. 8 March 2018 . Retrieved 30 May 2020. ANA Releases 2011 Literary Prizes Shortlist | NigerianOrientNews". 2012-04-26. Archived from the original on 2012-04-26 . Retrieved 2023-03-31. In addition to Baba Segi, none of the three wives have gone to school or obtained much of an education. In an attempt to get into their good graces, Bolanle offers to teach them how to read and write. Segi and Femi flippantly brush her off as they only deal with her when they must and regard this as her putting on airs.