Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita Head of Service of the Federation has promised to give a house to the couple who newly delivered quintuplets at the National Hospital Abuja.

Oyo-Ita made the promise while visiting the children on Saturday in Abuja.

She said that the house will be given under the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) Scheme.

She also promised Mr Imudia Uduehi, father of the quintuplets who is an unemployed graduate of the University of Ilorin, Kwara State a job with the Federal Civil Service. She described the children as great blessings given to the couple by God on a platter of gold. She said the job offer to Uduehi would enable him cater for the children.

“I am very happy for you and I am standing here this afternoon representing the entire civil service of Nigeria. Today is a day of joy for all of us.

“Indeed you are a couple that has been so blessed by God. You have been married for just two years and God has blessed you with five children at once.

“I want to tell you that the Federal Integrated Staff Housing programme will be made available to you, we will give you a house that can accommodate you your husband and your five children.”

Oyo-Ita also presented cash gifts and diapers to them, thanking the doctors for their efforts in ensuring the babies and mothers are alive.

She applauded the medical team for taking care of the mother through the period of pregnancy and delivery.

Mrs Oluwakemi Uduehi, mother of the children who spoke on behalf of her family thanked the Head Of Service for her kind gesture. She is a staff of the National Population Commission.

Dr Bunmi Ladipo who delivered the babies said they were delivered through caesarean section and there was no complication.

He added that the mother had some challenges before delivery but was managed very well by the hospital Oluwakemi gave birth to the babies when the pregnancy was eight months.

Ladipo added that this was his first time of delivering a set of five children.

Also Dr Audu Lamidi, Head Neo- Natal Intensive Care Unit, National Hospital said that the babies are very tender and more time is being devoted to their care.

According to him, many hospitals in Nigeria do not have the capacity or facility to cater for such multiple births.

He also called on government to provide the hospital with more specialised facilities and equipment to care and monitor this kind of birth.

“These babies are seen as blessings from God and we need more specialised facilities to enable us monitor them effectively in the first few months of their life.

“We need equipment such as incubators, ventilators and so on to support them. Though we have the basic tools for now, we need the specialised ones as these multiple births require more attention, time and care.’’

Also Yemi Adelakun, Permanent Secretary Common Services at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation said that the house would be immediately given to the couple as directed by the Head of Service.

He added that the urgency was necessary to help them settle down and take care of their babies adequately.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the five children who are 10 days old today are all girls and were delivered at eight months with a weight of less than one kilogramme each.

Photo: The Uduehis and their babies: NAN