Posted by By YETUNDE OLADEINDE, EMMA EMEOZOR and CHINWENDU UZOUKWU on
Nigerian women have called for the head of the Indian, who allegedly impregnated a housemaid, but denied paternity of the twins that came from the liaison.....
Nigerian women have called for the head of the Indian, who allegedly impregnated a housemaid, but denied paternity of the twins that came from the liaison.
Patience, an office cleaner and housemaid of one Mr Deepak, a manager at the Ibadan branch of a big electronics firm, had accused her boss of being the father of her set of twins.
She claimed in a story published in Daily Sun yesterday that Deepak had taken her to bed several times, showering her with gifts during the period, which, however, stopped after she put to bed.
The young mother, 20, said Deepak initially promised to fund the upkeep of the babies, but reneged. The police have waded into the matter.
Below are reactions of the women:
Hajia Halimat Bello
As a mother, I am sad because if somebody does such to my daughter, I will not take it cool with the man at all. I think that the first step is for the police to arrest the man for interrogation. The girl is just 20 years old and does not know anything about life yet. For her to be working as a cleaner shows that she is from a poor family. Her mates are still in school. A woman is precious in India; I am sure that if this happened in his country, they would have dealt with him by now.
Nkiru Oriaku
These expatriates are taking us for fools in this country. The man should be arrested and grilled until he tells the truth. This is not happening for the first time in this country. It is because the ladies have been keeping quiet that they think we are fools. If a test is conducted and he is responsible, he should be made to take care of the children.
Yinka Banjo
He is a fool for denying the babies now because they enjoyed it. Even if he does not want the girl as wife, which I am sure he would not opt for, then he should see to their upkeep and not abandon them to suffer. And if he says he is not the one, then he should go for a test. A test should be conducted for the man, the children and the girl to prove who owns the babies.
This is the seed of their illicit acts together. The man must be made to take up responsibility of those children. As for the lady, I am ashamed but again remembering her background as a helpless maid, then you could say it is poverty. The poor girl would not want to lose her job, who knows she might just be the breadwinner for her parents and other siblings.
Caroline Maduka
It is very sad to know that some of our young girls cannot come out to speak when they are sexually harassed. They always keep quiet until they are impregnated or raped. If the twins look like the Indian, then the man should take responsibility for what he has done.
Florence Akpan
I must say that a lot of mothers are angry with this man. In fact, it has become a recurring thing in our society because of poverty. These expatriates think that they can come to our country and use our girls the way they want and nothing will be done to them. I do not think we need further proof on who the father of the kids is because as Nigerians, we don't have the type of hair and complexion. But if he insists, then a medical test should be carried out.
Bolanle Omitogun
I think that we need to establish a proof first. By this I mean a medical examination that would confirm that the man is the father of those children. If this is done and he is responsible, then he should be made to pay for all this. In addition, I think that he should be sent back home immediately to ensure justice.
Joke Adeyemi
Medical test should be conducted and if it is proven that the expatriate is responsible for the pregnancy, then he should be made to take full responsibility of the children. He should also be made to compensate the girl for letting her go through all this alone.
Ifeoma Atuegwu
As far as the babies look like the man, the authorities should handle the Indian very well. He should be made to take up his responsibilities and be punished. I am sure this is not the first time; his type messes around with small girls.
Amadi
It is barbaric and inhuman that an Indian, a manger of a company impregnates a 20-year- old girl and abandons her with the kids. It pains me that other people earth including Asians, Arabs, not to talk of Europeans and Americans make caricature of Africans both at home and the Diaspora. If it were in the civilized world, this man will provide for the accommodation of the girl and the children in all ramifications until they become 21 years old. Failure to do this, he will find himself in prison.
However, the Indian High Commission in Nigeria has described the matter as 'a private affair."
The High Commission's spokesperson, who is also the Deputy High Commissioner in Abuja, Anil Trigunayat, in a reaction to the story, told Daily Sun on phone that the commission had always advised its nationals resident in Nigeria to behave with decorum and have good relationship with their host communities.
Trigunayat said the High Commission was making effort to contact Deepak, even as he quickly expressed sympathy for Patience. 'I deeply sympathise with the lady, but I don't know why the man is denying. We don't know what the truth is yet, we have not spoken with him to know his side of the story," said the envoy.