Nigerian ladies have devised another survival strategy by getting
pregnant for childless couples for a fee.
These ladies, called surrogate mothers, have even taken to the
internet to advertise themselves to couples who are desperately in
need of children. Surrogacy is a process whereby willing ladies are
contacted by either couples or fertility clinics to help carry
pregnancies on behalf of childless couples. It often happens where
married women find it difficult getting pregnant or where they have
issues with their wombs.
Through medical science, a couple's sperm and egg are collected and
fertilised and then implanted into the surrogate mother who in-turn
carries the pregnancy till it is due for delivery.The surrogate mother
may then be flown out of the country or kept away from prying eyes and
monitored till she is delivered of the baby.
Most of these Nigerian women who registered on
www.surrogatefinder.com, have their photographs on the website with
assurances to their prospective customers that they would offer
effective service. The website, which listed the surrogate mothers
accordingto their states of residence, also has a breakdown of their
data.
It also has registered sperm and egg donors with their details. Lagos
state has 103 registered surrogate mothers on the list and this is the
highest. The state is followed by Edo with 14.
While Abuja, Nigeria's capital city has seven of such registered
surrogate mothers, Enugu, Rivers, and Ogun havefive each.
The list further shows that Delta has four surrogate mothers. Other
states on the website include Anambra, Kaduna, Ondo and Cross River
with two each and Imo, Akwa-Ibom, Benue, Ekiti, Kwara and Oyo with one
each. In Lagos, Ipaja has the highest number at 13. This is closely
followed by Ikeja, 12, Lagos Island, 11, Surulere, eight, Bariga, and
Eko with five each, Ikoyi, Isolo, Ikotun, Oshodi, and Alimosho with
four each. Igando and Badagry areas of the state have three, Agege,
Apapa, Isheri, and Ebute Metta have two each while Abule Ijesha,
Ejigbo, Amuwo, Idi Oro, Oworonshoki, Maryland, Jibowu, Ifako, and Egbe
have one each. Ruth, one of the registered surrogate mothers,
whoresides in Asaba and aged 23, said she would not mind becoming a
surrogate mother for couples. She described herself as having brown
hair and brown eyes. She said she is an honest person interested in
making families happy. "I know what's like not having achild of your
own. I want to give you that gift and hope to bring joy and blessing
to your home," she stated in her message to prospective customers.
Temitayo, a 28-year old lady resident in Abuja, said she was willing
to travel to any part of the world to have the baby for her customer.
She said: "Since the death of my parents I've been working myself to
death to take care of my kid sister. If I can be paid to put a smile
on the face of a couple who can't have children and also with the
money to take care of myself and my sister, what more canI ask for?"
Another surrogate mother, 28 year-old Joy, said she had seen a lot of
couples in churches in search of babies and "I feel bad that some of
us don't want so much but have the ability to bring life when wanted
while others do not." The lady, who said she is only interested in
rendering assistance in that regard, added: "with me and your promise
to take care of the baby, your desires are only nine months away."
Loveth, a 32-year old mother of three and resident of Ipaja, said she
believesGod could use her to answer people's prayers since it is
painful to live without children. "Just put your trust inGod, He will
surely do it. Also, I pray in the journey of putting smiles on
people's faces, I will not regret because l am ready to help you," she
said. Chinyere Maryann, resident in Benin, simply said: "I don't know
what to say but I can assure you that if you choose me as your
surrogate mother to your unborn, I will not disappoint you." Oke, 27
and resident of Ipaja, saidshe has black hair and brown eyes."You
won't regret having your baby with me. I am perfectly healthy…my
results show that," she said.
A fertility clinic staff in Lagos told that there were several other
women who were into it but who are not known to the people in the
streets. "First, there is an agreement between the surrogate mother
and the fertility clinic and the couples may or may not know who the
surrogate mother is, butI can tell you that couples spend millions on
this process of having babies," she said.
