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After 14 years of waiting, miscarriages, medical consultations, prayers and painful disappointments, Hon. Rufus Alele, a senior legislative aide to Senator Joseph Ikpea Igiagbe, and his wife have welcomed their first child, a baby boy.

Alele, in an emotional testimony titled “My Life, My Story: For Fourteen Years, My Wife and I Carried a Pain No One Could See – Until God Changed Our Story,” said the birth of his son marked the end of a long and painful journey.

“For the first time in fourteen years, I am holding my own child in my arms,” he wrote. He added: “For the first time in fourteen years, I have heard the cry of a baby that belongs to my wife and me.” But how does a couple endure 14 years of waiting for something many people take for granted?

According to him, he and his wife married in May 2012 with hopes of raising a family, but their dream did not come easily. Years of hospital visits, laboratory tests, medications, medical consultations, fasting and prayers followed. “We never imagined that our journey to parenthood would last fourteen years,”

Alele said. How many disappointments can a couple endure before hope begins to fade? How many nights can they cry privately while maintaining smiles before the world? The couple experienced several pregnancies, but each ended in miscarriage.

Alele recalled the pain of repeatedly celebrating pregnancies only to lose them. “How do you mourn children you never had the chance to carry?” he asked. “How do you explain the silence that fills a home after beautiful dreams suddenly disappear?”

The losses, he said, left deep wounds, but he and his wife continued to comfort each other and hold on to their faith.

The year 2021, according to Alele, became one of the darkest periods of their lives after his wife lost a pregnancy that had reached five months.

Seeking better medical care and a fresh beginning, the couple relocated from Benin City to Lagos on December 28, 2021. Yet, the miscarriages continued, including the loss of a twin pregnancy. How much more pain could they take? How many times could they rebuild their hopes after another devastating loss?

Alele also recalled the painful words of people who questioned their childlessness.

He said someone once asked his wife in Benin: “Are you not ashamed? You will soon reach menopause, yet you have no child.” Another family member reportedly advised his wife to leave the marriage, while someone in Lagos later made a similar suggestion. For a couple already fighting a private battle, could such words do anything other than deepen their pain?

A major turning point came when Alele finally opened up to his principal, Senator Joseph Ikpea Igiagbe, about the struggle.

He said Senator Ikpea listened, comforted him, prayed with him and assured him that he and his wife would eventually become parents. Could one word of encouragement change the outlook of someone who had almost lost hope? Alele said the Senator’s assurance became “a seed of hope” in his heart.
He said Senator Ikpea later arranged for his wife to meet Mrs Evelyn Ikpea in Warri. According to Alele, Mrs Ikpea became a mother figure who prayed with his wife, encouraged her and strengthened her faith. The couple also connected them with medical specialists and personally supported medical expenses running into millions of naira.

Alele said, “Looking back today, I see more than human kindness. I see the hand of God working through compassionate people.”

Towards the end of January 2026, the couple received news that changed their lives: his wife was pregnant again. However, their excitement was accompanied by fear because of their history of miscarriages. Weeks later, she began bleeding and they rushed to the hospital. After the scan, a medical staff member reportedly told them: “The baby is alive.” What could have been more powerful to a couple who had already lost several pregnancies?

Alele said both he and his wife broke down in tears.
Because the pregnancy remained delicate, his wife stayed in hospital under close medical supervision until she gave birth.

Alele said the period tested him emotionally, spiritually, mentally and financially, “Every day my prayer remained the same: ‘Lord, preserve my wife. Preserve our child,’” he recalled. Finally, after 14 years, the prayer was answered as he held his newborn son in his arms.

In gratitude for the people he believes God used to change their story, Alele and his wife decided to name their son Igiagbe, in honour of Senator Joseph Ikpea Igiagbe. Reflecting on the journey, he said: “His silence was never His absence. While we were waiting, He was working.”

He urged couples still waiting for the fruit of the womb not to give up, asking: “Who will inherit everything we have if we never have children?” For Alele and his wife, that question has finally been replaced by the laughter of a child after 14 years of waiting.

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By Gloria Ikibah

The Federal Government has confirmed the arrival of 83 Nigerian returnees from South Africa, describing the successful repatriation as another demonstration of its commitment to protecting the welfare of citizens living abroad.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced that the returnees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, aboard a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg.

According to the ministry, the returnees were accompanied by two officials from the Consulate-General of Nigeria in Johannesburg.

In a statement signed by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Ebienfa, the government disclosed that the latest evacuation exercise was made possible through the intervention of private individuals who paid for the flight tickets.

“The Ministry wishes to reiterate the fact that the repatriation exercise of this batch of returnees was facilitated through the procurement of flight tickets by good-spirited private individuals, whose generous support enabled their safe return to Nigeria,” the statement said.

The ministry noted that upon arrival in Lagos, the returnees were officially received by the Director of the African Affairs Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, who welcomed them on behalf of the Federal Government.

Following their arrival, the returnees were handed over to the appropriate government agencies for documentation and profiling before being reunited with their families.

“Upon arrival, the returnees were received by the Director, African Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Haruna Ali-Gombe, who welcomed them on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“Thereafter, they were handed over to the relevant Government Agencies for necessary documentation and profiling ahead of their reunification with their families,” the statement added.

The ministry expressed appreciation to the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, the private individuals who financed the operation and the agencies that coordinated the reception process.

It also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of Nigerians living overseas.

“The Federal Government remains committed to the welfare and safe return of all Nigerian citizens abroad and expresses profound appreciation to the Nigerian Mission in South Africa, the private individuals who sponsored the exercise, and all agencies involved in ensuring a smooth reception and reintegration process,” the ministry stated.

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National Chairman of the Peoples Redemption Party, PRP, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, on Wednesday said President Bola Tinubu will lose the 2027 general elections before 4 pm if the poll were credible, free and fair.

Baba-Ahmed described the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a monster eating itself up, saying that despite controlling the National Assembly and having 31 state governors, the President remained uneasy because Nigeria had become worse under his leadership.

He spoke on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, where he said Governor Ademola Adeleke’s victory in the Osun State governorship election had demonstrated that the APC could be defeated at the polls.

He said: “I saw the now sworn-in Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State speak in a very confident, very comfortable manner. APC was trounced in Osun. We didn’t even see a coalition or collaboration or a gang-up against the APC. Parties all competed against one another. Yet, APC was defeated. We have even heard stories that there was a deal between President Tinubu and Governor Ademola Adeleke. But we don’t believe that. We believe that the ruling party, Accord Party, defeated APC comprehensively. There’s no reason why this cannot repeat itself at a national level.

“APC is not a party. It is a monster eating itself up and eating everybody up. You have a party that has a president who is quite possibly the most powerful president, who has either given himself or been given by the people around him the most awesome powers to do anything he wants. You have a president who believes he must have all the power around him. He appears to have garnered the support of 31 governors and quite possibly about 75 per cent of the National Assembly, yet he’s still uncomfortable. It’s politically monstrous.

“If it’s a credible, free and fair election, I assure you, Tinubu will lose. I won’t say before 12 noon. Maybe before 4 pm. Nobody should praise INEC until it can actually conduct an election in which the President is a contestant. I hope the election will be credible, free and fair. If it’s not, I foresee a very serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.”