Hundreds troop to Bauchi village.. As baby born without arms, legs causes stir

• Didda with his daughter, Fatima
For weeks, her sight has been causing a major stir throughout the state. Since the announcement of her birth became public knowledge in January, her parents’ home has become a new Mecca, with people trooping to the place every day.

 Indeed, no sooner had the news of the birth of Baby Fatima, the girl born without arms and legs broken, than her village, Donumari in Zaki Local Government Area of Bauchi State become a Mecca of sorts, even as hundreds of people from within and outside Bauchi State have been trooping to the place to see her.

 Born on January 13, the strange New Year gift for the parents caused some stampede as the news of her birth spread round the small dusty village. But speaking in an interview with Daily Sun, Fatima’s father, Ahmadu Didda, disclosed that everything has suddenly taken a new dimension in the family since their fifth child was born without arms and legs.

 “When Fatima arrived and we saw her, we realised she was a special gift from God. Although she had no arms and no legs, she was hale and hearty and ready to face the challenges that lie before her. “We accept her as a gift from God and solicited for the assistance of individuals and organisations,” he told our reporter.

 Didda said several individuals and organisations had so far responded and had been showing love for the infant.
 “Many have been coming to see the child and they come with gifts. I don’t want to mention names until the time is ripe but we are really encouraged by the love showered by Nigerians from far and near. May Allah reward all accordingly,” he said.

 Didda, a peasant farmer from Donumari village, said they would continue to explore all avenues to see that Fatima survives and attend school. Fatima’s condition is a malformation called phocomelia that occurs right in the mother’s womb during pregnancy.

 The news of Fatima’s birth attracted residents of neighbouring villages to Zaki Local Government Area to behold the strange baby. Her birth has since become a topic for discussion. Didda said since the news of the birth of his strange daughter, people had been trooping to the family house to behold the baby that was making news all over the state. The local government had never recorded any such baby since Bauchi became a state, the father said.

 Didda, who has four other normal healthy children, said Fatima’s birth was very strange and remains a marvel to him, saying none of his other children had any form of abnormality or deformity. He informed the reporter: “This is a gift from God but it won’t be easy for us to raise Fatima because without legs and hands, she needs special care and attention. We feel sorry for her but with the assistance from government and individuals, I know that she will live a good life. I cannot point out to what resulted in the deformity of my daughter because all my other children are normal and very healthy. So, I see her birth as an act of God and I cannot question what God decided to create. I feel with support from good-spirited individuals, who have the fear of God, Fatima will have a happy life despite the deformity.”

 Fatima’s mother, Rukayya said: “This is my fifth child and during the pregnancy, I went through a lot of difficulties. I did not attend antenatal services at the hospital, as I could not afford the cost. I gave birth to all my other children at home and they are all normal but in Fatima’s case, it was not the same like the rest of the children. The labour was very complicated and hectic for me. Before her birth, I resorted to taking traditional herbs, which I was used to. Although, we have a hospital at the local government where pregnant mothers usually give birth, I prefer to give birth at home, because of lack of money. I want to use this opportunity to call on the government and good people to come to Fatima’s aid so that she can have a normal life.”
 Fatima’s father said the family was grateful to God for giving them the child. He described her as a beautiful baby.

 In a special appeal, leader of the disabled in Sakwa, Abdullahi Gindi, who is blind, said it was the duty of the society to ensure that Fatima is not discriminated against as a result of her condition. “She needs to be assisted,” Gindi told our reporter. “We are grateful that she was born a healthy child. She sucks breasts normally and so, we need to protect her. But her parents are poor. That is why we are calling for assistance so that Fatima would live.”

 A consultant at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Hospital, Bauchi, Dr. Labaran Dan Tigo, said the deformity of that nature can be treated artificially so that the individual can have a normal and comfortable life.
 He spoke further: “Deformities in babies can be as a result of taking wrong medications, be it traditional or western, during the pregnancy and this can cause abnormalities in babies.

 Had it been Fatima’s mother was attending antenatal services regularly and was taking the right medications for pregnant women, the possibility of having a deformed baby would have been very slim. In addition, she would have been undergoing regular scan to ascertain the position and health of the baby. With all these measures put in place, if the baby in her womb had some abnormalities, it would have been detected on time and the pregnancy could have been terminated.”

 Dr. Labaran then said since she has been given birth to, it is now mandatory for government and good-spirited Nigerians to rally around the family and offer them support so that Fatima could live a healthy and normal life.