THE PROLIFERATION OF BABY FACTORIES IN NIGERIA: AN ETHICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The proliferation of baby factories in Nigeria speaks volume about the cultural erosions that have taken some negative turns among her tribes. Nigeria’s constituent ethnic nationalities of ancient past have cultural values that distinguish them as peoples not just by the well-crafted tribal marks and tongues but rather by their eminent and excellent distinctions in the respect they had for the dignity of the human person. Life was sacred and material possession was secondary. Wealth was only relevant when placed at the service of the human person. They were rich and contented in the measures and qualifications of the traditional models. However, today money and material possessions are primary and human persons are sold in order to acquire them. Babies are now commodities for sale and the trend is growing and gaining strength with multiplicity of presence in many parts of the country as if it is legitimate and ordained by gods. This paper discusses this phenomenon from an ethical perspective with the view to finding out whether it is a moral burden or a moral blessing in Nigeria and in the entire society of humanity. The knowledge of the anthropological worth of man and the ethical value of the baby trade are necessary in order to understand the morality and legitimacy of the human act or the immoral contents and illicit characteristics of baby factories as a rational activity of a moral person.The findings of this paper would facilitate the fight against this social menace that cloaks the human person in indignity and has distorted the social image of Nigeria with gross disrepute.The methodology employed in this study is historico-descriptive. This means that baby factories syndrome as a social question in Nigerian society is described and interpreted in the context of the people’s socio-cultural values.