Yahaya Imam Nafiu is from the Gambari family of Onikeke compound, Popo Giwa area, Ilorin, Kwara State. In this telephone interview conducted while he was returning to his base in Port Novo, Benin Republic after his visit to the Emir of Ilọrin, Dr Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the Arabic teacher and Imam tells Daily Trust the genesis of the 11 babies delivered by his wife, their struggle during the over three years pregnancy and challenges faced since their arrival. Excerpts:
How did you meet your wife and mother of the nine children?
I met the mother of the children, Alake Olatoyisi, about 6 years ago in Benin Republic. So, after the necessary Islamic rites, we got married and we remembered that three years ago she got pregnant and she has remained so since then before she recently gave birth.
How many wives do you have?
I have two wives. The mother of the nine children is currently above 40 years old. She was a trader but lost her business during our ordeal with the pregnancy. Although we have paid all the debts incurred during this period, this is beyond us but nevertheless, we still view this situation as a blessing from Almighty God.
Is there any instance of multiple births in your wife’s family?
No, at least not like this, ours is very unique and miraculous.
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While the pregnancy lasted, what steps did you take?
In those three years of pregnancy, we faced numerous challenges, we saw it as a test from God and we’re glad we have overcome the challenges. We became worried when the pregnancy was extending beyond the normal nine months. We started seeking medical help and doctors said she has to undergo surgery. But after they tried three different times to operate on her without success, we considered other options.
What were some of the options?
Recently, one of her friends in Benin Republic recommended we visit a herbalist who she assured could be of help. When they got to the man’s place not long after on July 6, she gave birth to six children, four boys and two girls. After we had taken the sextuplets home, she started complaining that she was having a stomach ache and feeling dizzy.
Thereafter, we went to the hospital on August 12 to complain to the doctors about her ordeal and they conducted a scan on her where she was told that she was still pregnant. We were all left bewildered because she had just given birth a month earlier.
What did you do at this point?
We put a call through to the herbalist that helped her to deliver the first six children, to inform him of the news of her ‘mysterious’ pregnancy. But the man told us that he was aware that she was still pregnant with some more children but he chose to remain silent in order not to scare her. He, thereafter, told us that the doctors can’t help us out of our predicaments and that we should start coming to his place immediately. Luckily for us, she gave birth to another set of five boys on August 14 but sadly we lost one of them, similarly we lost one of the girls from the previous delivery but thankfully we have nine healthy children with us consisting of eight boys and a girl.
Did you notice any unusual sign during the pregnancy?
Nothing really apart from the claims by the doctors that whenever they want to operate on my wife, some strange forces used to beat them.
We were quite worried because of the extended period of the pregnancy, all we did was pray to almighty Allah for help and thankfully He did answer our prayers, the multiple birth was miraculous.
What came to your mind when you gave birth to the first set of sextuplets?
A lot came to my mind but my greatest worry was the monetary aspect. I was wondering how I’m going to cater for them but we still remain grateful to the almighty Allah.
The herbalist told us that he had never seen any case like ours.
Have you had children before now?
Yes, we have three other children but we’ve never had multiple births before.
How have you been caring for the surviving babies?
We are managing the little resources we have to cater for them. We are making efforts to bring the children to Ilorin but due to financial constraints that also involve some rites demanded by the family in accordance with their customs, we have been unable to do.
How was their naming ceremony, did you notice any unusual events?
Nothing much happened because of financial issues, we only gave them names and thank almighty Allah, we’re yet to organise a ceremony, probably, the Emir of Ilorin will handle that for us.
How are the children faring?
They are doing quite well, although their appetite is becoming a source of concern for a man like me with little means of survival as a teacher and Imam.
What is their feeding pattern like?
In a day, they consume around two tins of baby food, the mother is struggling to breastfeed them, she definitely can’t breastfeed all of them in a day, thankfully Almighty Allah is looking after them.
On an average, how much do you spend on them daily?
We spend nothing less than ₦30,000 on them daily. In fact, we are expected to take them to the hospital every three days and we are going to buy medicine for them and we also have to pay their caregivers as well.
What help do you need from the public?
We need help from all well-meaning Nigerians both home and abroad, we will really appreciate any assistance they can render to us. At first when we gave birth to the first six, we didn’t bother anyone for assistance but with this addition, another set of five boys, it has compounded our worries, we pray that almighty God assist everyone of us.
Have you received any contact from the Kwara State government?
Not yet but we are hoping and the Emir of Ilorin has promised to assist us.
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