New Year babies and first ladies’ gifts

It has become a tradition for first ladies, both at the federal and state levels to visit selected hospitals and donate gift items to babies born in the early hours of January. The hospitals visited are mostly located in cities while children born in rural areas are not always lucky to be considered for such […]

It has become a tradition for first ladies, both at the federal and state levels to visit selected hospitals and donate gift items to babies born in the early hours of January. The hospitals visited are mostly located in cities while children born in rural areas are not always lucky to be considered for such recognitions.
Of course, this is by no means an attempt to denigrate or belittle the importance of such humanitarian concerns which the first ladies demonstrate annually. After all, no one will hold them to account if they choose not to do so. However, the point being raised here is the rationale behind restricting and confining such gifts and fanfare to children born on the first day of January every year and in some few selected hospitals located in some few cities and towns of the country.
The intention of the first ladies may be good, but on the other hand, it could have the unintended consequence of further widening the gap between the children of the haves (who could afford or are well informed to take their wives to the hospitals and the have-nots (who either are compelled to allow their spouses to give birth at home, or are simply uninformed of the importance of bringing such spouses to the hospitals for delivery).
It is also amazing to discover that the gifts are only for babies born in the early hours of the first day of January. If gifts have to be donated to babies born on January 1, then the donation should be done from 12:00am to 11:59pm of the same day.
Again, January 1 is not the only public holiday observed in Nigeria. Other public holidays include: Workers’ Day, Children’s Day, the two Eids (Fitr and Adha), Easter, and Christmas. Don’t children born on any of these days deserve such gifts and attention from the first ladies? What is the significance of January? What makes the babies born on January 1 more Nigerian and special than those born on any other day? The first ladies may answer these questions.
Consequently, pregnant women may begin to take drugs for inducement to bring out the babies forcefully so as to benefit from such gestures. That will be bad and unhealthy.
In addition, if these first ladies are really determined to render assistance to new babies and their mothers, they should look the way of many poor people in the country.
Many of them cannot afford decent meals. Also, there are many abandoned children who are orphans. They are spread in several orphanages across the country. Maybe someone needs to tell our first ladies that there are many physically challenged, mentally sick patients, beggars roaming the streets and constituting nuisance to the society.
In my view, gifts should not be donated only to the New Year babies as a priority. This is because not all of them are from a poor background or necessarily in need of help.
In conclusion, I am not saying it is not a kind gesture for first ladies to donate gifts to New Year babies, but it should be done fairly so that most Nigerian children will benefit. It will also make such children feel that they are special babies. There is the need for the first ladies to preach equality through their kind gesture.
Nafisah Abdullahi Bello, Abuja [email protected]