By: Lauretta Fagbohun, Abeokuta.

A 40-year-old woman, Mufiat Olateju, who recently gave birth to a rare set of quadruplets at the Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta, has appealed to the Ogun State Government and kind-hearted Nigerians for assistance to help care for the newborns.

Olateju made the appeal while speaking with journalists in Abeokuta on Thursday, a day after she delivered the babies at the hospital.

The mother of nine explained that the arrival of the quadruplets came as a surprise to the family, noting that earlier scans did not indicate she was carrying four babies.

According to her, the initial scan suggested she was expecting a single baby, while a later scan indicated twins.

“I have given birth to five children before. When we did the first scan, it showed only one baby, and the second scan showed two. We were shocked when four babies were delivered,” she said.

She therefore called on the government and well-meaning individuals to assist the family, saying caring for the babies would be difficult without support.

“Please, I need the help of the government and good people because I do not know where to start. I want the government to help take care of these four children,” she added.

Her husband, Oluwaseun Olateju, who hails from Atan in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, also appealed for assistance, describing the responsibility of raising the quadruplets alongside their other children as overwhelming.

“I want the government to come to my aid because I cannot do it alone. It is beyond my power. At one point, I even thought of running away, but I later changed my mind because I believe everything will be fine,” he said.

A Consultant Gynecologist at the hospital, Taofeek Ogunfunmilayo, who monitored the delivery, explained that the babies were delivered at 32 weeks.

He noted that the woman was not registered for antenatal care at the hospital and was only referred to the facility when she was already in labour.

“The patient is what we call an unbooked patient. Initially, we believed she was carrying triplets, but during surgery we successfully delivered four babies,” he said.
Ogunfunmilayo added that the mother is currently stable and recovering well after the procedure.

However, because the babies were born prematurely at 32 weeks, they have been admitted to the hospital’s nursery unit for specialised care.

According to him, while two of the babies are doing well, the other two are still in fragile condition and require close monitoring by medical personnel.