At least, 497 abandoned babies have been rescued from various streets
in Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, in the last one year by officials of
the Lagos State Government.
Special Adviser to the Governor on
Youth and Social Development, Dr. Dolapo Badru disclosed this Tuesday at
a ministerial press conference in Lagos.
He said the babies were
rescued after their mothers abandoned them as they did not want the
children, adding that the babies were taken to various government homes
and private orphanages.
With this large number of rescued babies, the rate at which mothers dumped their new born babies has increased in Lagos State.
On
adoption and fostering service, Badru said “adoption is a process of
establishing legal parentage of a child in need of permanent home in a
loving environment. The child might have been abandoned, or an orphan in
need of a permanent home.
“Suitable persons by legal means
acquire parental claim over certain categories of children with/without
blood relationship. It could either be local, international or relative
adoption; while fostering is the placement of children in need of care
or protection in the hands of fit persons by means of a fostering
order,” he explained.
“This office also registers and monitors the
activities of orphanage homes and related non governmental
organisations (NGOs). From June 2011 to date, 753 applications were
received from prospective adopters out of which 709 were local and 24
international. Seven applications were received for relative while 9
were received for fostering.
“Prospective adopters were screened
in order to determine their suitability for adopting children while 82
children were released for adoption and 85 were legalized through
juvenile courts. 308 letters of approval were granted,” he stated. According to PM News
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