To be frank, the Omugwo
syndrome is a train that
left fathers at the station
a long time ago, with
their wives waving ‘bye
bye’ with glee.
The female folk believe that it is
their right to travel all over the world
or even within the country to take
care of their daughters or daughters-
in-law when they are delivered of
babies. In fact, mothers swear that
fathers do not like to travel hence
Omugwo is a monopoly for women.
There may be some truth in this
assertion only if Omugwo trips by
mothers are solely to go teach the
young nursing mothers how to give
the babies their baths, feed them,
cook delicious meals and general-
ly look after the home in the early
weeks after the birth of a baby by
their daughters.
Which man would like to do all that
anyway?
But Nigerian women have taken
Omugwo to a different level. It is
now a competition and a yardstick to
measure which mother has arrived,
especially if she has sons and daugh-
ters in different parts of the world.
Many of our mothers sometimes
spend 9 months a year on the inter-
national Omugwo circuit, moving
from France to Dubai, then Cana-
da and back to Ireland where their
children have relocated. The UK and
USA are old destinations and it is not
even news anymore to go to exotic
places like Australia and Singapore
for Omugwo. Lucky devils!
The women make sure they broad-
cast their movements within their
circle of friends and family where the
unlucky mothers whose children are
home-based in Lagos, Port Harcourt
and Abuja would brim with envy and
feel luckless that they are not the ones
enjoying the international ‘Omugwo-
ism’.
In real sense, many of these women
who go for Omugwo will privately
tell you frankly how they suffer on
those trips because they are more
or less like house helps in their chil-
dren’s homes abroad. Most Nigerian
families abroad cannot afford helps
or au pair so the cost of air ticket to
Mama to come and help is a small
price to pay.
I am told that the Omugwo practice
was originally of Igbo tradition. But
mothers or mothers-in-law from all
parts of Nigeria have been involved
in this practice and it is a big part of
their custom. Yoruba, Edos, Ibibios,
Tivs, Ijaws, Urhobos and other tribes
have been practicing it from way back
so it is not only among the Igbos.
It is obvious though, like in many
other endeavours, the Igbos have
taken it to a different level; hence the
name ‘Omugwo’ which is of Igbo or-
igin has assumed a brand of its own,
but the the other tribes have their
own names for it.
In all the euphoria about who will
go on Omugwo, the poor fathers
who picked up the sons and daugh-
ters growing up bills up to university
and even past wedding days are left
gnashing their teeth because their
sweet daughters and sons don’t con-
sider them worthy of even quasi
Omugwo duties.
And the poor guys are even left
‘wifeless’ at a time in their lives when
they really need the companionship
of their wives who at the slightest
hint of labour pains by daughters or
daughters-in-law are already on the
way to the airport.
Hmmm. This life is not fair – for us
men!
Image Credit: nicepng.com
Epa Ogie Eboigbe, veteran jour-
nalist, broadcaster and public affairs
specialist writes and analyses current
and historical issues with a ‘wise pen’.
