Lagos Commissioner For Youth Donates Cash, Other Items to Mother of Triplet abandoned by husband

Following the Saturday Nation's report about a mother of triplet, Mrs Idowu Yusuf, who was abandoned by her husband, because she had multiple births, relief has come her way after the report.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Pharm (Mrs) Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, (whose birthday is also today) visited the nursing mother and her babies on Tuesday, at their residence, No 4, Agesinjaweifa Street in Agbado-Okeodo LCDA of the State.

She donated cash and other gifts to the woman and her babies whose husband had absconded due to hospital bill and other salient domestic expenses.
Some of the Items also donated apart from cash gift, were beverages, carton of baby food, diapers, detergent, to mention but few.

Excerpts from the Saturday Nation:

The rivulets of tears that ran down Idowu Yusuf’s brow on Tuesday revealed that all is not well with the petty trader. Her husband, Isiaka Yusuf, allegedly absconded from home shortly after she was delivered of a set of triplets on April 6, 2016.
Speaking with our correspondent during a visit to their residence at No 4, Agesinjaweifa Street in the Temidire area of Alagbado, a Lagos suburb, Idowu seeks help from kind-hearted Nigerians to take care of the triplets named Ameerat, Ahmed and Zainab.
She also cried out for help in search of her husband, a native of Osi community near Omu Aran, Kwara State.

It was learnt that the couple already has two children- Yusuf,10, and Mariam,7,before the birth of the triplets.

The Nation learnt that Idowu’s husband, a cab operator, has been out of job lately.
Recalling the events leading to the birth of the children and how her husband bolted, Idowu said: “ He left me in the hospital shortly after I was delivered of the babies. Since then, he has refused to come home to see his children. I learnt that he stays in the Ajah area of Lagos but I have not set my eyes on him.

“Each time we called him on his mobile phone, he would tell us that he cannot come home because he had no money to give me for the upkeep of the children. Even his relatives have fruitlessly begged him on the telephone to come home.
“He used to be a very caring husband until the birth of our triplets. In fact, he started misbehaving after a scan showed that I was carrying a set of triplets in my womb. He did not even wait to name his new babies or show up when we invited some Muslim clerics to conduct the naming ceremony right in the hospital”.

Idowu explained that a private hospital where the children were born had demanded the sum of N500, 000 for the delivery done through caesarian operation.
“I was delivered of the children through Ceasarian operation and the hospital bill is N500, 000. It was through the assistance of friends, relatives and neighbours that we were able to pay the sum of N250, 000 out of the money. We had to sign an undertaking to pay up by the end of this month. As I speak, we don’t even have money or hope of paying up.”

The 37-year-old native of Ogbomosho, Oyo State, asked for help from members of public saying: “ I want to appeal to kind people to come to my assistance because I don’t have money to take care of the babies. I don’t know who to approach again for money after my relatives and friends contributed part of the hospital bill.

“Things are getting worse for me as I could barely feed myself not to talk of the babies. As I speak, I have not had breakfast and the babies take only breast milk. My husband ran away because he lost his job as cab operator after his car broke down beyond repair. He has since bolted and left us to our fate. I am begging Nigerians to come to my aid in the name of God.”

She added: “I also want to urge my husband to consider coming home to see his babies.”
In his words, the landlord of the house, Elder Ramoni Birijo, said:”Yusuf should endeavour to come home. We all know that things are tough for him since he lost his job, but abandoning his wife and babies is not a good option to run away from his responsibilities.

“He moved into my house about seven years ago and was paying his rent as and when due until he became jobless. He has not paid me for more than one year now but I cannot eject him because he used to be a very good tenant. He should come home for the sake of his new babies and I urge Nigerians with good heart to assist them in taking care of the babies.”

In a telephone conversation with our correspondent, Yusuf said he took the painful decision to abandon his wife and babies after doctors demanded N500, 000 as hospital bill.
”May God, not turn our joy into sadness. I had to abscond after doctors at a private hospital, where my wife was delivered of the triplets, demanded a whopping sum of N500, 000 as cost of carrying out Caesarian operation. It was my wife’s relatives who contributed about N250, 000 as part payment before my wife and babies were discharged.

“It was not my intention to abandon my family, but I lost my job as cab operator after the engine of the car I was driving knocked down and the owner has refused to change or repair it. I felt ashamed of myself and decided to stay away since I don’t have any means of taking care of my wife and children.”