PATERNITY FRAUD: Another Study Claims 30% Of Nigerian Men Are Fathering Kids That Aren’t Theirs

Paternity fraud is the pretence that a man is the legitimate and biological father of a child that isn’t his. In other words, when a woman falsely leads a man to believe that a child that isn’t his own is his, such woman has committed a paternity fraud.

In 2015, Nigerian women cried foul when a survey conducted by condom manufacturer, Durex, branded Nigerian “married” women as the most sexually unfaithful in the world. The outcry was understandable though, as these are women known for their awe of culture and religion, far more than their counterparts anywhere else.

Four years down the line, the marital fidelity of Nigerian women has again been questioned with a report making the rounds since late 2018 claiming Nigeria has the second highest rate (30 %) of paternity fraud in the world. In the report’s graphical presentation, Jamaica ranked first with 34.6%, while Canada, the UK and France were on the list with 2.8%, 1.6% and 1.4%, respectively.

Most Nigerian women who reacted to the news believe it is a fallacy and that if the fidelity of anyone is to be questioned at all, that of their male counterparts should be the one.

Some were of the opinion that Nigerian wives who cheat at all do so either because they have been frustrated by their cheating husbands into revenge, have been pushed to the wall by husbands who fail to provide for their needs but would rather spend money on extended family members, or that they are trying to cover-up an infertility issue in the home, or because they do not love the men they are married to, but were forced into the marriage by either their parents or circumstances.

Nigerian feminist, Omoge Damilola had this to say on the subject:

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It might be tied to our very strong inclination towards reproduction and lineage longevity.

Expanding the family unit as a prerequisite for social acceptance may be a cause.

Whatever the reasons may be, women need to realise the full extent of the emotional damage and embarrassment that paternity fraud puts on families, innocent children and the society at large.