Former presidential aide and controversial public commentator, Reno Omokri, has once again stirred major conversations online — and omo, this one go cause serious gbas gbos!
In a detailed post shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, Omokri boldly claimed that only virgins should be considered “true brides,” and that asking for bride price from a non-virgin woman is, in his words, “extortion.”
Omo! Just imagine the kind hot takes this one go generate.
According to him, many Africans have confused the meanings of “dowry” and “bride price,” using both terms interchangeably despite their unique cultural and historical roots.
He explained:
“A dowry is money/property given by a bride’s family to the couple, while bride price is the payment a groom gives to the bride’s family in exchange for her — but specifically on the condition that she’s a virgin,”Omokri wrote.
Quoting biblical scriptures like Exodus 22:17 and referencing Yoruba traditions such as the Lukumi’s aso funfun custom, he argued that proof of virginity used to be a key requirement for the bride price to be valid. If not proven, he claimed that traditionally, the price would be refunded and the marriage nullified.
“In Scripture, the term ‘bride’ is never used for a woman who is not a virgin,” he added, referencing verses like Isaiah 62:5 and Jeremiah 2:32.
Omo this one is not just controversial, it’s shaking cultural and religious tables left, right and center.
He even went further to say that the rising monetary demands in some African communities for non-virgin brides aren’t rooted in culture or Scripture — but are simply “industrial money obtaining.”
As if that wasn’t enough, Omokri also fired shots at white weddings, claiming they’re not African or even Christian in nature, but rather a borrowed European tradition where — allegedly — the bride’s father, not the groom, is expected to cover the expenses.
“If we must copy Western customs, let’s at least copy them properly,” he concluded.
