What
Can We Learn From Rising Baby’ Factories, Trade And Effect In Nigeria?
We
have lost character as a region. It has been a case of uncertainty of some
sort, if you know what makes some orphanage homes, hospitals and clinics,
religious centers masquerading as syndicate in the baby farming industry and
trade in local and illicit international market. You will weep for humanity. As
baby’s farming syndicates have strong network and background voice, it will
beats your imagination that some of them could be operating next door, and
wonder how their antics always beat security personnel too. This business is
spinning and more people are rolling in everyday. In this market, demand is always
higher than supply. There is ready, ready for cash transfer and so cash deposit
is no big deal, making money by farming babies for sales in Nigeria is a
serious illegal business meant for those who can pay highest. In hospitals,
body parts of patients are missing unnecessary. These parts are trafficked for
transplanting abroad, and are for those who can pay bills. So many things
happen these days.
Baby
factory trade is not new though. It has been there years back and functioning
behind the scene silently refusing to grow. But it has grown now and is rapidly
growing. People involved in the trade are baby farmers, agents, sellers and
buyers. And they are connected with the powerful, rich and influential in the
society, so I watch my back. They can pay to have their ways, to be out of
security lenses, bend rules to their favor and escape the laws from being
enforced on them. The society fear and respect them, to the extent that
everyday citizens are intimidated, and can’t report them to authorities.
Reporting them to security would be the highest risk anyone could do or think
of. So who cares what goes on in our communities? That’s how we got it wrong
all the other times.
Adolf Hitler prompted what has come to be
baby’s factories by experiment. When he wanted to produce a super race whose
attributes would portray super German as only and most superior race on earth
prior to World War II. He lured and brought German girls to a room to mass
produce offspring to replace the killed Jews. But he failed, when Nazi was
dismantled. Anyhow, that is bye gone but preamble to the point.
In
Europe, Athens, Greece is the capital of illegal babies’ trade. Migrants from
other countries are lured and converted to baby making machines for European
market. Britons prefer Indians, America look at Chinese and Latin American. And
the trade goes on and on and on. In Africa, Nigeria is profiled as Africa
baby’s trade capital and has potentials to service global market. Nigeria’s
babies have international market acceptability and these babies are bought and
brought abroad solely to become slaves.
Slave workers as in factories, mining and other laborious works amongst
others. Of truth I tell you that slave trade has not ended yet, don’t doubt me. I am only pained that Africans are the ones
still selling Africans as commodities, like in the days of old. When will Africa ever learn?
In Nigeria particularly in the southern part
of the country, orphanage homes are used as factories for making babies. Young
girls within the age of 13-24 years are targeted and organized in hidden homes.
In some of these homes, are numbered up to 30 adolescents or more, under the
supervision of a syndicate. The syndicate usually contracts or employs the
service of a young man at a low cost. The young man’s duty is to sleep with
these girls and impregnate them at random. No one can ascertain the health and
safety condition of the young man and the girls’ pre the sex based contract.
However, it is noted that part of the syndicate is medical personnel, whose duties
are to attend to the girls prenatal medically from pregnancy to delivery.
The
trade and effect
At
delivery, babies are immediately taken away from the girls and sold off to
readymade market, without any trace to track the baby forever. The girls after
delivery normally return home with a financial gratification of N20,000 ie less
than $60 for the deal. The young man’s share per impregnated girl is N50, 000
i.e. close to $100. In common parlance, - the more a girl produces babies the
more money she makes. Equally, this also applies to the man too. As if this is
not madness! Babies sold into slavery, majority of them used for rituals as
Africans still believes that crunched babies into powered form is the best
voodoo. When this children cries before they are killed, The future of Africa
bleak.
In
other similar cases, poor girls with unwanted pregnancy are lured in for cover
in these homes till delivery. After delivery, they are rewarded with N20,000
from the sales of the baby, and the girl returns home. Almost all the girls in
such homes do this voluntarily. The cost for male baby is more celebrated as it
is more expensive. A male baby is sold between $5,500-7,000. While a female
baby is sold between $4,000-3,000 in the illicit international market price.
Anxiously,
I made attempt to unravel what could be the rational for a young pregnant girl,
to walking away without emotions or feelings to her new born after nine months
pregnancy? That was a big concerned to know how careless people could be in
knowing the whereabouts of their babies immediately after delivery. To also ascertain if parents know where their
children are, as they read this post. And I was made to know that, before the
girls are accepted into the homes, they had entered into agreement. This flimsy excuse followed too, that poverty
is number one thing that made us vulnerable, according to the girls. I was speechless listening to the girl and
almost lost myself. Then I remembered the wisdom of the United Nations
Sustainable Development Goals, GOAL 1 - which is to eradicate extreme poverty
for all people everywhere. And I know we
can do something about it. In reality, do you think poverty can drive these
girls into this? I am lost and recovering.
Lost at our morals and social values for X generation? Lost for what holds for future. I ask again, parents do you know where your
daughters are?
I
remember how one girl told me that, she does not regret her actions that it was
better she didn’t abort the baby and destroy lives. And I wonder the irony to
her action. Another with tears said, that she was stigmatized, castigated and
pressured by her family, friends, and society as wayward and hopeless and that
forced her into hiding for delivery. That she would have abandoned the baby at
road side after delivery if the home was not there for her. Well that I couldn’t still understand. Something is wrong somewhere. We have to do
something about this excuses and save babies from all this. We have to do
something definite to save the future. Family values and morals and respect for
life are eroded. We all have a role to play. Teach morals, character and values
to children so that they can grow up with it. Let’s start it now.
By:
Saidina Alieu Jarjou
Blogger/Activist
www.jarjou.blogspot.com
prof.jarjou@gmail.com
