By SAM EYOBOKA & Olayinka Latona
A TOTAL of 56 babies have delivered as at 4.00 p.m. Thursday at the ongoing 59th national convention of Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG. The babies made up of 34 girls and 18 boys were delivered at the RCCG Maternity Centre at the Redemption Camp within the first four days of the convention. The latest addition included a set of twins that cam yesterday morning. They are boys.

According to a supervisor at the centre, Pastor (Mrs.) Victoria Oladapo who was on her way out to join other members of the National Midwifery Choir for Wednesday afternoon’s Melody Hour at the Holy Ghost Arena, all the babies, who came through normal delivery and their mothers are perfect condition.

Asked why expectant mothers take such great risk to travel far distances on our bad roads to the convention, when they are due for delivery, Mrs Oladapo who emphasized that a major aspect of their duty at the maternity centre was prayers, said it is difficult for anybody to understand how faith operates.

“Not all the women that have delivered thus far, were due for delivery because if you take time to ask some of them they would tell you that scan result had shown that their babies won’t come till some time in September, but God had overruled such decrees and they have delivered safely,” she explained.

Similarly, she added, several of these women for whatever reason, had prayed and programmed their delivery period for such a time as this and their faith had carried them through.

Asked about the welfare of the new mothers, Mrs. Oladapo said all expenses relating to the delivery of the babies and the feeding of the new mothers is borne by the mission. “We don’t charge them any money for delivery, the only thing we require of them is the normal baby things which they must produce at the point of entry,” she maintained.

Sister Dupe Adeniji, mother of a baby boy; Sister Elizabeth Onwibe with her new baby girl.and Sister Oluwakemi Aruna Joseph and her own baby girl.

Confirming the supervisor’s claim, one of the mothers, Mrs. Elizabeth Onwibe who had her fifth delivery on Tuesday afternoon, said the only thing she was requested to deposit was her baby things.

Mrs. Onwibe who came to the Redemption Camp from Lagos had earlier had three boys and one girl, said she would name her new baby girl, Miracle because scan report she did before the convention revealed that her baby was not due till mid-September.

Oluwakemi Aruna Joseph arrived the Redemption Camp on Sunday night from Ijebu Ode with the hope of going back after the convention to deliver her baby. She had a baby girl at about 8.00 p.m. on Tuesday evening. That was her third delivery and she was very grateful to God for the miracle.

She could not lay hand on the paper where her mother-in-law had written the names of babies, but on her part she would rather call her Iyanu-oluwa.

Sister Dupe Adeniji is a member of RCCG Province 7, in Ifo, Ogun State and had traveled from there on Monday to the camp to be part of this year’s convention. She least expected that her baby would become of one of those convention babies because her scan report had also told her to prepare for the middle of September, on and about September 15.

She delivered one of the princes of the week long spiritual event at about 7.50 p.m. on Tuesday. Radiating so much joy, Sister Dupe did not hesitate to tell Vanguard, that she would name her baby which is the fourth in the family, after the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye.

According to her, the baby’s first name would be Enoch while his second name would be Oluwadamilare.

Investigations also revealed that the church recently upgraded the maternity to meet the needs of pregnant women who may fall into labour during church programmes.