“My brother, rejoice with me. My wife has given me a double. My days of searching are over. Indeed, I have been confirmed a complete man.” Those were the contents of the SMS from Charles Okafor announcing the birth of his twin girls, 13 long years after tying the nuptial knots with his wife, Esther.
The man’s excitement was understandable. Since they got married in 1998, Esther had been unable to conceive. But all that changed in the early hours of March 23, when Esther was safely delivered of a set of twin girls, their first set of kids. In a chat, the woman couldn’t hide her excitement. “What God has done for us is inexplicable,” she said. “We are short of words to express His kindness. In fact, God has proved to us that He alone has the answer to all we need, and He alone knows the right time.
We were asking Him for one, but He gave us two. That’s why we named the twins Somadina (only I should not exist) and Dabeluchukwu (depend on God). She said it wasn’t an easy task waiting for 13 years for the fruit of the womb. “Now I understand that life has different layers. Initially, I thought that my husband’s constant overseas business travels were responsible for the delayed pregnancy, thinking probably that we were not sleeping together at the right time. But I became worried when we started spending more time together and I still could not get pregnant.”
Esther explained that the diagnosis did not highlight a consistent problem because most of the results were contradictory. “Most places we visited gave us conflicting results,” she noted. “In one particular place, I was jolted by the medical personnel’s lack of tact. He told me outright in my husband’s presence that I could not have a baby because I was not a complete woman. I was grossly embarrassed and shocked because that would have been enough for my husband to abandon me. But I thank God for my husband’s understanding. Today, God has proved that He is all-knowing.”
According to Okafor, the search for a child took him through some humiliating experiences, asserting that the search was even more expensive than what it would cost to actually train the child. He recalled having to drink several bitter, foul-smelling herbal concoctions. He said he was never bothered by the millions of naira he spent in the desperate search for a baby, noting that he and his wife could have done just about anything just to have their own child.
He spoke further: “Being the only child of my mother, my major prayer on my wedding day was to have a baby as soon as possible. I wasn’t bothered initially, but with nothing happening one, two, three years into the marriage, I desperately embarked on a search for solution. It took me to several hospitals, churches, herbal homes etc. I virtually explored all possibilities. A remarkable one was a church where the pastor promised me that within six months, my wife would get pregnant, whether Heaven liked it or not.
“Though I was alarmed by his audacity, I decided to believe the ‘prophet.’ He was so sure that he re-emphasized the six-month ultimatum. Therefore, I got completely immersed in everything the church did. Today, the ‘man’ of God would ask for donations for church building. Tomorrow, it would be one project or the other. And most times, I gave exceedingly large dues, to my heart’s desire. So, it went on for a year, without results. I was so disappointed that the man only exploited my desperation. I left the church in frustration and took my search elsewhere. We attended various hospitals, did various tests. But all to no avail.”
Mr. and Mrs. Okafor explained, though, that there were no pressures from their families, especially the parents. They were even involved in the search for a solution, they said. “They would make enquiries about where we could find help and invite us to the place, most times, joining us in fasting and prayers. In fact, their support and encouragement were out of this world.”
Okafor said some people actually encouraged him to take another wife, but he ignored. “I rejected the advice. I remembered the vow I made at the altar, that the marriage is ‘for better, or for worse’, which I meant from the bottom of my heart. Secondly, I asked myself what would happen if I married another wife, and she failed to get pregnant too. I was determined to stick to my wife. I also resolved that whatever comes out of the marriage, I would take it like that. Apart from that, my wife and I had strong belief in God that one day we would surely celebrate the birth of our own baby.”
He said since he was doing well in his business, lots of negative stories were going round. “What broke my heart most was that people were insinuating that I might have used my private part, or my wife’s womb, for money rituals. So, I needed to prove that assumption wrong. Apart from that, the entire condition killed my zeal to do business, especially when I remembered that there was no child to enjoy the wealth. But now, God has dried my tears.”
On March 23, right from the beginning of their street in Surulere in Lagos, you wouldn’t need anybody to inform you that something special had happened. Apart from the potpourri of choice drinks and delicacies provided to entertain friends and well-wishers, there were also many Area Boys (street urchins), who turned the place into a second home. Many of those who knew of the couple’s predicament since 1998 were in attendance.
A guest called the arrival of the twin as an answer to many prayers, explaining that the new parents got at once what it would have taken them three or four years to get. He said Esther now has another name: Iya Ibeji (mother of twins.)
Esther told the excited crowd: “My babies, no doubt, are special and God-sent. The scan never showed that I carried twins. And the labour did not last more than three hours. I also did not experience serious pains.
“We advise expectant couples to be patient and believe that at the appointed time God will fulfill His promise. They should relax their minds after they have done all the basics, and avoid running from pillar to post. It is only God that can give children. In our own case, God answered our prayers when we resolved to stop moving from one place to the other and put our trust 100 per cent in God alone.”
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