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In the matter of Mrs Kanu V Mr. Kanu

Case Brief: A wife brought the husband to the Christian Court for a determination on whether or not a husband has the right to keep information on his finances and wealth away from the wife.

Plaintiff: Mrs Ernestina Kanu

Defendant: Mr Adolf Kanu

Judge J-P: Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)

PROCEEDINGS

Judge J-P: Mrs Kanu kindly enlighten this court concerning the fact of the issue brought for determination.

Mrs Kanu: Your honour, my husband and I have been married for the past five years. We have two children. He is an accomplished contractor. After my national service, seeking employment became very challenging therefore I decided to pursue my passion as an entrepreneur. My husband supported me with a substantial amount to set up my business. I advised him that we open a joint investment account where I will be saving profits made from the business. He gladly obliged. Your honour for the past three years since I started the business of importing and retailing rice from China, I have been consistently sharing all the financial information and properties I have acquired and jointly registered in our name with my husband. The only challenge is that my husband has refused to share information concerning his finances and wealth acquired before and during our marriage with me. I have made my mobile money pin available to my husband but he has refused to let me know about his mobile pin. Your honour, I am greatly worried about this development. I am convinced that my husband does not trust me and that is a great cause of worry for me.

Judge J-P: Mr Kanu do you have any statement of defence to the claims your wife has brought before this court?

Mr Kanu: Your honour, I am happy you have all seen the kind of woman my wife is. She is indeed ungrateful! After all that I have done for her, especially giving her capital to start her successful and enviable business, what else does she want from me? In any case, I married her, she did not marry me. The Bible says the man is the head, don’t I have the power to do what I please with my money? Don’t have the right to keep it secret what is mine? Your honour I give her everything that she needs, I don’t know why she is prying her nose into my affairs. In any case, I gave her money to set up her business therefore I deserve to know how she is managing the business and the profit she is making. She does not do anything for me with the money she makes although from the time she started the business she has been providing food and drink for our consumption while I also pay the school fees of the kids and take care of the utility bills. Your honour, I am a man and won’t allow a woman to interfere with my issues.

Judge J-P: Mrs Kanu do you have any further counterclaim to make?

Mrs Kanu: No, your honour.

Judge J-P: Mr Kany, Do you have any further statements to make before I deliver my judgement.

Mr Kanu: Yes, your honour, I want to place on record that, my mobile money pin is my private pin and my mobile phone is my personal device. I want my wife to clearly understand these facts!

Judgement of Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)

I have listened to both parties and shall proceed to state the issues as identified from the facts presented and then go on to apply the Scriptural law or Biblical principles that settles the issues. The issues to be resolved are:

1. Whether or not a Christian couple and for that matter Mr. Kanu has the right to keep secret his finances and wealth from his lawfully wedded wife, Mrs. Kanu.
2. Whether or not a wife is subsevient to a husband such that she has no right whatsover to enquire into issues related to the husbands business or affairs.

The issues shall be resolved seriatim.

On issue one, whether or not a Christian couple and for that matter, Mr Kanu has the right to keep secret information about his finances and wealth from his lawfully wedded wife, Mrs Kanu. It is important to note that before marriage, a person has the right to divulge or keep whatever information he or she wishes from his or her prospective partner. This period is commonly known as the dating period. However, such a right is not guaranteed immediately after a person is legally married. It is, for this reason, Genesis 2:25 states that “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.” The keyword that needs serious consideration is “naked”. Naked according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary means not covered by clothing or devoid of concealment or disguise. The word “naked” indicates that there is absolutely nothing to hide in marriage for which there is no need to conceal whatever we possess in marriage. The most important asset of a person is his or her body, without our bodies we cease to exist. In marriage, both couples share their bodies which are their most valuable assets with each other. It can therefore be deduced that if you give me your naked body which is the most valuable and priceless gift you have, what else could be more valuable than your body to the extent you find it proper to hide from me? Put in another way, If I have given you my most valuable and priceless assert or gift (my body), what else could be more valuable than what I have given you for which you have refused to share with me or at least give me information about other things that you have. Mr Kanu must understand that nothing in this world is more precious and valuable than Mrs Kanu’s body and person. Again nothing is worth more than Mr Kanu’s body which Mrs Kanu has access to therefore any money or wealth acquired is far less than what you have received from each other, therefore whatever you have must be shared and brought to the notice of each other. In Christian marriage, couples have no right to keep secrets from each other because they must remain “naked” in the bedroom and equally important, naked when it comes to their thoughts, emotions, finances and wealth as long as the marriage subsists. I, therefore rule that Mr Kanu has no right to keep secret information regarding his finances and wealth from his wife for no legitimate reason. The only logical and legitimate reason for which a spouse can keep secret his or her finances and wealth is when he or she can prove beyond a reasonable doubt with adequate and convincing evidence that his or her spouse is untrustworthy or has a sinister motive against him or her. Mr Kanu has not been able to give any evidence that Mrs Kanu is untrustworthy or is with an ill motive, as such, Mr Kanu has no right to keep secret information regarding his finances and wealth his wife.

On the second issue, whether or not a wife is subservient to a husband such that she has no right whatsoever to enquire into issues related to the husband’s business or affairs. It is very important to understand that when Paul made mention of the husband as the head of the wife in Ephesians 5:23, he does not put the wife in a subservient position. Marriage is not a king-subject, boss-employee or master-servant relationship whereby the husband is the king, boss and master and his wife is his subject, employee and servant. In marriage, both the husband and wife are partners who play complementary roles. “For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” (Ephesians 5:23-24). Husbands must draw inspiration from Jesus as the servant leader although He was and remains the head of the Church. Jesus washed the feet of His disciples although He was their Lord. He was not bossy and did not abuse the power He had but was friendly, loving and rather served and sacrificed His life for His followers. In the same manner, the husband must learn to assume the responsibility of the head by sacrificing himself to the best of his ability and serving the wife. In return, the wife must also submit to the husband just as the church acknowledges the salvation work of Christ and submit to Christ. “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” (Ephesians 5:33) How can Mr Kanu claim he loves Mrs Kanu but keeps such vital information from her? I realised that Mr Kanu apart from keeping such vital information from Mrs Kanu is also arrogant and fails to acknowledge that the wife is playing a substantial role in the family. Regrettably, he is rather angry with his wife for requesting information concerning his finances and wealth. We are to note that love “…does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5) In summary, the husband’s servant-leadership and the wife’s submissiveness are complementary in that they make marriage relationship peaceful, enjoyable, progressive and fulfilling. Mr Kanu must understand that Mrs Kanu is not subservient to him but she is his wife and partner. Marriage partners co-own everything and deserve to know about each other’s finances and wealth.

Mr Kanu is therefore guilty of not being naked before his wife and not treating the wife as his partner, he is compelled by a court order to make known all information concerning his finances to his wife, Mrs Kanu within fourteen days. Mr Kanu will be placed on three-month compulsory counselling to help him understand Christian marriage and the roles of couples. He will be on two months of counselling alone with the counsellor and one-month post-marital counselling with the wife. Mr Kanu is ordered to render an unqualified apology to Mrs Kanu within three days, this shall take place at a dinner for two at a beautiful restaurant and all expenses borne by Mr Kanu. The court hereby rules in favour of Mrs Kanu. It is my prayer that the Lord will grant you two wisdom and understanding to live together happily as a Christian couple.

Jean-Paul Agid (Rev)