Circle Mom Fertility Foundation launches in Abuja, urging. government action on infertility and offering IVF sponsorships to restore hope for families across Nigeria. Photo Credit: NSA
A charity organisation, the Circle Mom Fertility Foundation, has called on the Federal government to prioritise fertility support programmes within the national health policy, describing infertility as a neglected public health issue that requires urgent attention.
Speaking at the unveiling of the foundation in Abuja, Dr. Charles Ojeabuo, the Founder, described assisted conception including IVF, sperm and egg donation, embryo transfer, and surrogacy, as a “divine tool” that restores hope to families struggling to conceive. “This process represents faith in motion,” he said.
Dr. Ojeabuo explained that the initiative was inspired by compassion for couples who have waited years to have children.
He pledged that the foundation would collaborate with accredited fertility centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones to ensure access to safe, affordable, and standardised treatment.
Addressing the Emotional Toll of Infertility
Victoria Ojeabuo, Co-founder of the organisation, shared her personal story of secondary infertility, noting that many couples live with unseen emotional and psychological pain.
“They may look normal, but they carry silent pain. Our goal is to meet them halfway through financial and emotional support,” she said.
She explained that infertility affects 30% of men, 30% of women, and 30% of couples jointly, with 10% of cases unexplained. She appealed to philanthropists and well-meaning Nigerians to support the cause, describing the foundation as “a circle of humanity bound by shared hope.”
Legal and Ethical Dimensions of Assisted Reproduction
From a legal perspective, guest speaker Babayemi Olawole advised couples to consider gestational surrogacy over traditional surrogacy, noting that the latter could give the surrogate biological rights over the child.
He acknowledged that Nigeria currently lacks a national law on Assisted Reproductive Treatment (ART) but emphasised that existing constitutional and ethical provisions such as the right to private and family life, the Child Rights Act, and the Code of Medical Ethics, offer legal backing for the practice.
Olawole also referenced Lagos State’s ART guidelines (2019) as a model for national adoption.
“Couples should sign multiple consent forms throughout the surrogacy process and avoid personal relationships with surrogates to protect all parties involved,” he advised.
A Shared Mission of Hope
The foundation’s patron, Dr. Rose Anthony-Orianran, commended the initiative, noting that “sometimes, a family only needs a little push to realise its destiny.”
In line with this vision, the foundation pledged to continue providing medical, emotional, and spiritual support to couples facing infertility, ensuring that no family is left behind on the path to parenthood.
A key highlight of the event was the provision of full IVF sponsorships to five couples, a 50% subsidy to another five, and 20% discounts to all interested participants who attended the launch.
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