Driver Cries For Help After Wife Gives Birth To Quadruplets

Independence celebrations on October 1 was for Lagos driver, Kehinde Tijani, and his wife Grace, a day to celebrate the arrival of four babies in addition to the three they already had. Grace was delivered of a set of quadruplets at Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba, Lagos.

Like most men have done in the past when blessed with such gift in their financial state, Tijani did not abscond, but stood by his wife.

Kehinde, a driver and Grace, a small-time caterer were already living from hand to mouth before the blessing of the newborns. They now have seven children to cater for…they could barely feed the three they had.

The family who presently resides in a rented one-room apartment at Ajangbandi in Okokomaiko, Lagos, expressed gratitude to God for the gift of children, but expressed sadness and fear of an uncertain future occasioned by poverty and hardship.

Kehinde, who hails from Oyo State, said he needs financial assistance to take care of his wife and children.

“I need help. I am a driver. I started driving someone last year and my monthly salary is so meager I can hardly feed three children not to talk of seven.

“I need help please. I want the government and other people, who can, to come to my aid. I don’t have money, I don’t have a house. I need about N1 million to take care of the medical bills of the children and their mother.

“My wife had two Caesarian Sections and since the birth of the babies last week they have been in an incubator. Also, with the arrival of the quadruplets, we need better accommodation for the children,” Kehinde said.

The mother of the quadruplets, Grace, while speaking on the birth of her babies said: “When I discovered that I wasn’t feeling too well, I went to a private hospital, where they asked me to undergo scan.

“After the scan, they told me that I had fibroid. Then I came to LUTH and after several tests and a scan, it was revealed that I was pregnant with five babies.

“On hearing the news, I got really scared and depressed because of our hard condition. Later, I had a partial miscarriage of one of the fetus because of the fear and depression.

“I have been in the hospital since July. That was three months before I delivered, because of my health conditions. All through this period, my husband had to struggle to make ends meet.

“Things have been difficult as he only earns N30,000 monthly, and we had three children before the arrival of these four.”

Grace from Delta state, said she has no history of multiple birth in her family.

She said: “I have been married for 10 years now. It is only my husband who is a twin. How can I take care of four babies at the same time?

“Please help us. The babies, three girls and a boy, have been placed in the incubator.

“The first baby girl weighed about 1.65kg, the second girl, 1.50kg, third girl 1.6Kg. The only boy tipped the scales at 1.45kg.”

Spokesperson for LUTH, Mrs Hope Nwawolo said the babies are in good health and are medically stable.