Finally, Ogun sextuplets get a home

The three surviving babies from the sextuplets delivered at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH) seven months ago were, on Tuesday, formally handed over to an orphanage.

The management of the hospital, along with the father of the kids and his relatives, handed over the children to the management of Save Our Soul Orphanage, Owu-Ikija, in the Ijebu-East local government area of Ogun State.

The ceremony took place at the Ogunyemi Hall of the hospital, with officials of hospital, as well as Lagoon Hospital, Lagos, in attendance.

A senior member of the team that took delivery of the babies, Harun Ajibode, recalled that the kids, on birth, had mostly immature organs, amongst other complications.

“We had to work round the clock to ensure survival of the babies, whose weight then was between 600-900 gramms, but thank God today they have improved medically, weighing impressive weight,” he said.

According to him, Mojeedat now weighs 2.7 kilogramms, Waliat weighs 3.8 kilogramms and Rokeeb weighs 4.6 kilogramms. He then called on members of the public to continue assisting the children.

The chairman of the hospital’s board, Femi Ajayi, said it took this long for the children to leave the hospital because of accommodation logistics.

The best option

Mr. Ajayi said, after due consultation and with the consent of the children’s father, the family felt the choice of SOS Orphanage Home was the best option.

He also used the occasion to deny reports that the mother of the kids died as a result of blood shortage. “The hospital set up an in-house medical committee of experts,” he said, “and their findings never revealed that the woman died of acute blood shortage.”

The orphanage’s director, Benjamin Praimoh, expressed happiness at being able to help. “Our care is unique all over the world, and we shall give the kids best care,” he said. Mr. Praimoh them appealed to the public to join in nurturing the babies, stressing that the home cannot work alone.

The good fortune continued with the kids receiving scholarships from primary to tertiary education level from the Josephine Oluwadamilare Foundation. The foundation’s representative, Ifeoma Odo, said they picked the bill because the children are also the nation’s future leaders.

“It is when they are well educated that they would become important and relevant in the society,” she said.

Understandably, Lukman Bello, father of the babies was, throughout the ceremony, tongue-tied. He also regularly burst into tears each time he remembered his late wife, whom he later described as “not only a wife to me but a mother, who always encouraged me.”