Nollywood veteran and Ifa priest, Ifayemi Elebuibon, is calling for the adoption of traditional DNA testing to help curb the rise of paternity fraud in Nigeria.
Ifayemi, who recently discussed this with journalists at his home in Osogbo, Osun State, told journalists that the rejection of Yoruba traditional DNA testing played a factor in the rise of the paternity frauds we see today.
According to studies, Nigeria ranked second behind Jamaica in nations with the highest paternity fraud, as one in every four tested men is not the biological father of their child(ren). Many factors may play in this, including infidelity, child swaps in hospitals, and many more.
Many families may be unable to afford the cost of a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test. Elebuibon is suggesting that traditional means could be an alternative for parties interested.
Elebuibon is confident that the Yoruba traditional system for DNA testing is a foolproof method to determine a child’s paternity.
He said, “Yoruba has traditional DNA, and it is very potent. They vary from one family or compound to another. We are having a high rate of cases of paternity fraud now because people of our race have decided to abandon what belongs to them and embrace two foreign religions…In Yoruba culture, even during childbirth, paternity of a baby can be determined. In my own compound those days, a new wife would take oath before the Ogun shrine to remain faithful to only her husband. Traditionally, there are several ways we can determine the paternity of a child. Those means are cheap and safe but our people are not interested in them. They are alternative available for those interested.”
