…My partner asked me to abort pregnancy – Halima, mother
By Funmi Ajumobi
Halimat and her newborn held in hospital for non-payment of N220, 000 bill for delivery through Caesarian Section have been discharged following response from a well-meaning Nigerian who read about their ordeal on Vanguard last week Monday.
Vanguard got the hint from a Child Protection Network platform that Halimat was abandoned by her husband, Austin, and was held in hospital for two weeks with her child.
A Good Samaritan paid the bill after reading the report.
Vanguard visited the baby where she is now being taken care of by her grandmother in a small room in Mushin, Lagos alongside her mother.
The situation needs no soothsayer to know that Halimat needs urgent support to feed to be healthy and to also get accommodation.
According to Halimat, the father of the newborn refused to accept the pregnancy and told her to abort it if she wanted his relationship with her to continue.
“I did everything to abort the baby but it didn’t work but when Austin gave me the option of Dilation and Curettage (D&C), I refused because of the fear of losing my life and I decided to keep it and face the consequence because I don’t know maybe the child will be the one that will take me out of poverty in future”, she said.
“I suffered throughout the pregnancy and was constantly begging to eat from people. Most times, it was my neighbor, the Chief Imam of the mosque in our compound, that was always giving me money to feed but it got to a stage that I couldn’t ask again for fear of being a burden to him.
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“Alhaji was the one who helped me to make the information about my situation public so that I could get help.
“I want to thank the man who paid my hospital bill. I am proud of my country because they are good people.
“I didn’t know that people can be so caring like this. This is my first experience of this big favour in my life”.
Like Oliver Twist, Halimat appealed to well-meaning Nigerians not to leave her alone especially at this time that she is not the only one who needed to feed.
She pleaded for help for accommodation and for the baby upkeep.
Halimat lives at No 54, Post Office Road, Muslim, Lagos. Donors can pay to Olawuyi Muinat Alake GTBank
ACCT. 0169830963