At a time several families are trying their best at conception and other means to seek the fruit of the womb, a family in Anambra state felt so defeated by the widening poverty in Nigeria that they tried to sell off their new born baby to support the rest of the family.  According to the director of a Non-governmental organization named Safenest in the state, Mrs. Oluchukwu Chukwuenyem, the family drove out the 24 year old mother of the new baby out of the house for her refusal to commit to selling her newborn. The lady and her baby now reside in a safe house provided by the NGO. However, the family who pressured this girl to sell her child then alienated her for refusing should be punished by the law.

RELATED: Now that Atiku has a presidential ticket, how will he woo his former ennemies and present a convincing campaign?

Poverty is no excuse to throw out a nursing mother, one who does not have any other source of income to care for herself and her newborn. It is negligence of the highest order and should be punished. The government in its wisdom have envisaged situations where individuals will not have the capacity to care for infants as a result of poverty, or personal health issues, or just mental illness. As a result of this, government across all levels have orphanages where such children are taken to for further care and protection an idea that have given rise to private sector participation in the establishment of orphanages.

Establishment of baby factories and trading of new born under any guise is a criminal offence that is punishable under the law. The family’s poverty doesn’t excuse their decision to sell their infant, there are legal ways to provide for an infant without outrightly selling them to the highest bidder. Everyone is feeling the economic crunch in several ways but the solution is not to put up our children for sale. These infants have their rights to life and other rights that are guaranteed by law and their future should be jealously protected.

tosin adesina