Experts have identified high incidences of infidelity and cultural pressure due to infertility as leading causes of paternity fraud in Nigeria.
Professor of Pathology, Lagos State University College of Medicine / Teaching Hospital, Prof. Francis Faduyile, who made the lead when he appeared on Wednesday as a guest on The Big Issue, a daily program on the LEADERSHIP podcast, said DNA testing the high have uncovered infidelities of both men and women in the country.
“Yet the high level of immorality, in which most young girls have many sexual partners and become pregnant before marriage without knowing the father of their child, has resulted in many men caring for children who are not theirs. Also with regard to infertility, due to pressure from family members, many women have resorted to giving their husbands the children by whatever means necessary, ”added the pathologist.
However, he noted that the subject of DNA testing only comes up when there is a dispute, adding that it may not be entirely correct to generalize that one in six children in ten in Nigeria is not conceived by their biological father .
He explained, “The reason is that people in Nigeria only choose to have DNA testing when there is suspicion or a dispute. The study, which found that six out of ten children are not conceived by their biological fathers, could also look at a small number of Nigerians who visit a specific clinic for a DNA test for a period of time.
“DNA is a perfect test tool that can distinguish every individual in the world. Since the father and mother are the procreation of a child, the child assumes part of the father’s DNA and part of the mother’s DNA. So if a child is not conceived by his birth father, the different layers used for separation do not coincide with those of the child and we can say that the child is not the birth son / daughter of the man ”.
While Prof. Faduyile acknowledged that many Nigerian men are infertile and may wish to opt for IVF, surrogacy, or adoption, he advised that both couples must be taken along so that the DNA testing problem does not arise in the future.
However, he urged men who care for children who are not their own to keep going even if they are found not to be their children because they might be the ones to look after them when they are old.
He said, “We have seen cases of children caring for men who raised them but not their birth fathers. So if you have the means and the ability to father a child, whether your own or not, please do so because you do not know whether that child will be the one who will take care of you when you are old. “
In the same vein, HumGene Limited CEO / General Manager Maryam Ajikobi told LEADERSHIP Sunday that several researchers say the percentage of men who think they are the biological father but not globally is 10 percent, which is one in 10 Corresponding to fathers is not the biological father.
“Another interesting statistic is that 29 percent of the time a paternity test is performed on a man who questions paternity will confirm his suspicion. This means that nearly three in ten men who have a paternity doubt are not the biological fathers.
“In Nigeria, research shows that up to 30 percent of fathers are not birth parents to children they raised, but based on the results I’ve seen lately, I’ll say it could be higher,” added Ajikobi.
When asked if Nigerian women are promiscuous, the CEO said, “I am not going to say Nigerian women are more promiscuous and unfaithful than other women in the world because promiscuity and infidelity are common in many countries, not just Nigeria.”
Regarding the worst cases of paternity tests done in her clinic, Ajikobi said, “The worst case I’ve seen so far was four children whose father is not biologically related to them. It is very difficult to get such news out, but I have to do my job. I’m getting used to it now. “
Regarding the cost of running the test at HumGene Limited, the CEO said the cost of DNA paternity testing for father and child is N 80,000 while each additional person is N 50,000.
Ajikobi, who is also a geneticist, said the test is done by first taking cheek swabs from the client.
She said, “The DNA is then extracted, followed by PCR and analyzed using various methods. Our partner company uses the genetic analyzer for the analysis. The result usually takes 10 to 15 working days to finish.
“The results are very reliable because the method used is the best and HumGene uses the 22 loci region which is the highest. The result is either 99.99 percent as father or 0 percent. “
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