Vice President’s wife decries rate of abandoned children, others

Vice President’s wife Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo has decried the rate of abandoned children, violence and pregnancy among teenagers.

She spoke at the first annual conference of Heritage Adoption Support and Advocacy Group (HASAAG) at Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos over the weekend.

Mrs. Osinbajo said it was heartbreaking that 17.5 million children are abandoned, 60 per cent of teenagers under the age of 18 suffer violence in the East, 24 per cent of girls under the age of 18 get pregnant in Lagos and 40 per cent suffer from increased male infertility.

HASAAG is an offshoot of The Heritage Homes orphanage founded in 2006 by Pastor Ituah Ighodalo.

The vice president’s wife urged Nigerians to do something about the situation.

“So many areas have potential to change for the better. We must choose to fight the negativity that is around adoption and raise our voice to speak out against the stigma, uncertainty and fear attached to adoption.

“Bearing and adopting children are both ways to parenthood. The power of adoption is the power of love. We all should love even those who we did not give birth to.

“People are vulnerable and poor, at risk, in abusive circumstance, hungry, feeling unsafe and we have so many abandoned children. It should not be difficult to see someone in pain and help them. Encourage infertile couple, support and help them financially. There is nobody that cannot make a difference.”

She called for advocacy for the ease of adopting and review of the adoption processes, adding that adopters should love those who they have adopted.

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