Veteran Nigerian actor Pete Edochie has asserted that men who beat their wives should not see themselves as strong or heroic.

In an interview with Joy Prime TV, the actor, who has been married for 57 years, believes disagreements between couples should be settled through understanding and communication rather than physical violence.

According to him, there is no reason for a man to raise his hand against his wife, regardless of the challenges they may face in their marriage.

“If you beat your wife, you’re not a hero. There is no point striking a woman, for God’s sake. It doesn’t make you a hero. There is nothing respectful about it and that does not demonstrate strength in any way,” he said.

Sharing his experience of marriage, Edochie noted that his long relationship with his wife had not been marked by incidents of physical abuse that required others to intervene.

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“I have been married for 57 years, and nobody has ever come into my house to say, ‘Oh, Pete, please stop beating this woman,’” he stated.

The actor explained that misunderstandings are bound to happen in marriage, but couples should find peaceful ways to resolve their differences.

He said when a wife realises she has upset her husband, she can acknowledge her mistake, apologise and work towards settling the issue instead of allowing the disagreement to escalate.

For Edochie, physical aggression has no place in a healthy marriage, and a man's ability to control his temper is more important than using force to assert authority.

Beyond his views on domestic violence, the veteran actor also questioned the tendency of some Africans to copy Western lifestyles, particularly in matters relating to marriage.

He argued that African societies should appreciate their own values and traditions rather than assume that everything practised in Western countries is worth adopting.

“It’s not everything that the white man does that we must try to emulate,” he said.

Edochie also compared the length of some African marriages with relationships involving Western public figures, arguing that African couples have shown that marriages can last through difficult times.

His comments come amid renewed public discussion about domestic violence following the circulation of leaked videos allegedly showing actress Nana Akua Addo being abused.

Marriage:
If you beat your wife, you are not a hero. Even though they talk nonsense a lot of the time, you shouldn’t use physical force against women. — Pete Edochie, Legendary Filmmaker and Actor

Watch full conversation here: https://t.co/lFC1dtqzgv https://t.co/PMDgDq5oET

— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) October 6, 2026