21st December, 2012
It was a bundle of joy for Emmanuel Uba, 39, a second hand bags seller at Idumota market under bridge, Lagos Island, Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria, when his wife of 8 years and mother of his 3 children, Mrs. Genevieve Uba, 35, was delivered of quadruplets at the Lagos Island Maternity Hospital, Campbell Street, Lagos Island.
P.M.NEWS gathered that the children were delivered through caesarian section by the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Emosimi Odi and a team of other doctors attached to the hospital.
When P.M.NEWS visited the hospital Thursday morning, the babies and their mother were in stable condition.
Narrating her joy to P.M. NEWS, Mrs. Uba, who resides with her husband at 6 Opeloyeru Street, off Muritala Street, Bariga, Lagos gave thanks to Almighty God for protecting her throughout the period of her pregnancy and for the safe delivery of the quadruplets.
“I also want to thank the hospital management for their support despite the fact that we had no money on us. My husband warned me after the third baby that we should not have children anymore, in order to pay more attention to the three of them. But along the line, I got pregnant again. I became afraid and could not tell my husband until I could not hide it anymore. After four months, scan revealed that I was carrying four babies. I summoned the courage to tell my husband what the scan revealed and he wondered whether we could handle the situation with our little income,” she narrated.
Continuing, Mrs. Uba said “on the day of the delivery, doctors told me that I could only deliver via caesarian section. But I developed some complications after delivery. I was bleeding profusely and we had no money.
“But the hospital management took control of the situation. They provided blood for me to undergo surgery to stop the bleeding.”
Mrs. Uba informed P.M.NEWS that they are now heavily indebted to the hospital and need the assistance of good-spirited Nigerians to feed the children.
“Please, I need your help in any way possible. We can not feed these children alone. We want Nigerians to come to our aid,” she pleaded.
Uba, the husband, said when the wife delivered the babies and developed complications, he ran away because he had sold every thing in his shop prior to that time and was broke.
“I could not withstand what was happening, I went into hiding, but a voice told me to come out as the children were a blessing to me. Before I came out from my hiding, the doctors had taken care of the situation and I thought they would detain me over the debt, but they did not. I appreciate their spirit.
I am now appealing to the good Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Fashola and other Nigerians to come to our rescue,” he pleaded.
When contacted for comment, Dr. Odi, the Chief Medical Director, said they had to abide by the directive of the Lagos State governor ‘‘that we must always save a life before any other thing’’.
—Paul Iyoghojie