Encomium
+splashes about N10 million on conception and birth
DESPITE the fact that former beauty queen, Nike Oshinowo joyously unveiled her twins in the current edition of Hello! Nigeria, she is not ready to open up on the controversy surrounding her decision to go for gestational surrogacy.
Her former husband, Dr. Tunde Soleye, who was obviously kept in the dark, from the conception of the babies to their birth, also wished to be left alone when ENCOMIUM Weekly asked him his take on Nike’s twins in an SMS we sent to him on Saturday, May 10, 2014.
– Good afternoon, sir. What is your take on Nike Oshinowo’s confession in the current edition of Hello! Nigeria that she has been blessed with twins (a boy and a girl)?
– Did she, at anytime discuss that with you?
– It seems you’re been kept in the dark all along?
– Now, you know, have you congratulated her?
– Are you disturbed by the fact the babies are not bearing your name?
– Are there still hope of you and Nike reconciling?
Similarly, ENCOMIUM Weekly repeatedly called Nike Oshinowo on Saturday and Sunday, May 10 and 11, 2014, for clarifications but she shunned our calls. We later forwarded the following unreplied SMS to her mobile phone:
– When exactly did your twins arrive?
– What was the process of conception and delivery?
– Did you go for gestational or traditional surrogacy?
– How much did you spend all through the process?
– By not naming your babies Soleye, it seems it’s finally over between you and your estranged husband?
– Won’t you give marriage another shot?
The good news of Nike having twins through gestational surrogacy filtered into town sometime in October 2013. But the former Miss Nigeria, model, fitness expert, socialite and entrepreneur denied it when ENCOMIUM Weekly took her on it. She even warned our reporter to let her be.
In the same vein, Dr. Soleye, whom we also contacted on the issue that same day said he would be surprised if Nike could contemplate surrogacy. He reasoned that the media in dire need of market may have fabricated the story for commercial purpose.
Since the story broke, the 48 year-old lady of substance went under, only to resurface days back in a revealing interview with Hello! Nigeria, where she happily introduced her bundles of joy, explaining how she had them.
Nike Oshinowo also unbuttoned her heart on the reason, nature and circumstances of the birth of her amazing twins.
On why she deliberately kept her twins away from the prying eyes of the public, Nike told Hello! Nigeria: “This is the only interview I’m going to give about it because my children didn’t choose to come into this world or choose to be famous that way. I’m the one who is famous. My children are not famous. I’m hoping they’re going to be able to live very normal lives.”
She also explained she is not supposed to be able to have children. Reason being she has endometriosis. “I didn’t decide it was time, and decided it was time.”
Nike also has this to say on the miracle of having children at 48: “I think one thing you should know with me is that I’ll tell you the truth. If you dare to ask a question, I will answer. The answer might freak you out, but I will answer you as honestly as I can. It can happen to anyone, I’m not special. I’m very close to my Creator, and to be close to your Creator, you don’t have to go to church or to any special pastor, you just form a one-on-one relationship with God. I was out of marriage and I was lying in bed, talking to my God. ‘Okay, so here I am, is this what you want for me? Please, tell me the next step. What am I supposed to do now?’ and I fell asleep. As I slept, I felt a tug on the bedding and I opened my eyes…
“I’m saying you have to choose. I chose to have children that look like the rest of my family. I chose to have my children look like my cousins, the children of my sister, the children of my brother all the same complexion. I did what I needed to do to make that happen. My children bear Oshinowo. It’s a very good surname to have!”
Nike didn’t forget her former husband, Dr. Soleye in the Hello! Nigeria exclusive interview. She explained, “The attraction to Dr. Tunde Soleye was his mind. He had and still has amazing mind. I can’t really explain it, but I’m not a highly sexual person and I’ve never been able to be. If you are not, you have to be able to be attracted by other things and he has a phenomenal mind. Don’t forget I wasn’t 18 or 20 or even 25 at that time. I was 40! But I have to say I was very much in love. Was I guided? More by my heart than my head. Isn’t that to be sometimes? Am I embarrassed by that? No. Do I regret it? I don’t. I’m very grateful to have experienced it. It doesn’t happen that often. Would I do it again? Probably not in such a hurry. It took seven years for me to agree to date him. When I say I wouldn’t do it again in a hurry, I mean I wouldn’t rush into another marriage because all the love in the world is still not enough to sustain a marriage. There are other very components.”
From the review of the journal, Nike Oshinowo also spoke on how she dealt with the pregnancy, the delivery process, her twins’ names, their paternity and her future…
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SURROGACY
Generally speaking, surrogacy is the process in which a woman carries and later gives birth to a child for another couple or individual.
There are two broad types of surrogacy. They are Gestational and Traditional Surrogacy.
Gestational Surrogacy is a process whereby an already created embryo is transferred to a woman’s womb. In this case, the surrogate mother is the birth mother and not a biological mother.
Traditional surrogacy involves the surrogate mother being artificially inseminated using frozen or fresh sperm. This can be done through intrauterine insemination (IUI) or intracervical insemination (ICI). Unlike gestational surrogacy where the surrogate mother is only the birth mother, traditional surrogacy makes the surrogate mother the biological mother of the baby.
In opting for surrogacy, one of the top choices for a childless couple where a mother can pass her genes to her children, Nike Oshinowo keyed into this advanced medical process which has maximum success rate.
She reportedly went for Gestational Surrogacy, where she is the biological mother of her twins. Not their birth mother.
For Nike, who has endometriosis, a gynecological condition in which cells from the lining of the uterus (endometrium) appear and flourish outside the uterine cavity, conception and natural birth had since been ruled out. Hence, her wise decision to go for surrogacy, at a fairly light cost.
THE HIGH COST OF SURROGACY
The cost of having a surrogate baby varies from person to person as well as countries. There are indeed different factors that may determine the financial aspect of surrogacy.
From a surrogate working independently to someone working for a surrogacy agency, the price also varies.
ENCOMIUM Weekly’s investigations, however, reveal that the cost ranges from a minimum of $40,000 (N6.8m) to a maximum of $70,000 (N11.9m).
In many countries of the world, the cost is highly subsidized, depending on social welfare and medical insurance plan available for the couple.
The first step is to locate an agency or private individual who is willing to become a surrogate mother for one’s child. For surrogate mothers who work for a private agency, there are application costs which ranges from $400 (N68,000) to $1,000 (N170,000).
This includes the contract fees and base fees of the surrogate which go between $25,000 (N4.25m) to $40,000 (N6.2m), depending on the contract fees of the surrogates.
Surrogate mothers under an agency also charge agency fees that can be as much as $20,000 (N3.4m) in the average. The fees will cover the interviews and screening of the possible surrogate mothers and the management of the process.
After signing the contract, the initial fees will cover primary fees ranging from $500 (N85,000) to $1,500 (N255,000); such as medical transactions, which include the medical and psychological evaluation and the embryo transfer and artificial insemination and other expenses (travel expenses, food and childcare).
There are also administrative expenses which may cost as much as $5,000 (N850,000). We also gathered that a couple who desire to have a baby through surrogacy would have to spend between $750 (N127,500) to $2,000 (N340,000) in labour and miscellaneous fees and benefits of the surrogate. It includes the monthly allowance of the surrogate mother, her supplements, medications, insurance, housekeeping and the living cost of the surrogate mother for the whole process.
TABLE OF COST OF SURROGACY
APPLICATION FEES
Minimum -$400 (N68,000)
Maximum -$1,000 (N170,000)
CONTRACT FEES
Minimum -$25,000 (N4.25m)
Maximum -$40,000 (N6.2m)
AGENCY FEES
Minimum -$10,000 (N1.7m)
Maximum -$20,000 (N3.4m)
MEDICAL/SUNDRY BILLS
Minimum -$500 (N85,000)
Maximum -$1,500 (N255,000)
ADMINISTRATIONAL EXPENSES
Minimum -$2,000 (N340,000)
Maximum -$5,000 (N850,000)
LABOUR/MISCELLANEOUS FEES
Minimum -$1,000 (N170,000)
Maximum -$2,000 (N340,000)
GRAND TOTAL
Minimum -$38,900 (N6.6m)
Maximum -$69,000 (N11.7m)
– UCHE OLEHI
