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.
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Chinyere Maryann, surrogate mother
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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
according to 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 have five 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, who resides 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.