Islam and Marital Discords Among Muslim Naval Personnel

Naval personnel are posted on a regular basis to distant places sometimes without prior notice for military operations, routine deployments, training. Sadly, most personnel go into marriage without understanding the responsibilities marriage places on them and their would-be partner considering the peculiar nature of their job as a ’man of war’. In the course of this study, 250 questionnaires were distributed to naval personnel in NNS WEY, Lagos, NUA, Abuja for administration. The study leveraged on qualitative tools of data collection, during which 25 In-depth Interviews (IDI), 15 Key Informant Interviews (KII), 16 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) sessions were conducted. This was done in order to establish the credibility and validity of the research findings and overcome the biases that may arise from the use of single method in such a complex study. The study found out that inadequate accommodation is the major cause of marital discords among Muslim naval personnel. Next to that are cases of extramarital affairs. Furthermore, the study identified a nexus between extra marital affairs by personnel and their spouses and frequent/irregular posting of personnel by the Nigerian Navy.