LAGOS: A Nigerian man has sparked a heated debate on social media after declaring that he would never conduct a DNA test on children he had already raised and grown to love, even if he later discovered that they were not biologically his.
In a video circulating online, the man said his commitment to a child would not change because of the result of a DNA test. He maintained that once he had accepted and loved a child as his own, he would continue to regard the child as his regardless of the biological circumstances surrounding the child’s birth.
The man explained that his position was influenced by the experience of an acquaintance who reportedly discovered that a daughter he had raised during his marriage was not biologically his.
According to him, the biological father of the girl later appeared at the family’s home and sought custody of the child. Rather than subject himself and the child to further emotional distress, the man allegedly decided not to pursue a DNA test.
He reportedly continued caring for the girl and eventually included her among the beneficiaries of his property.
Reflecting on the experience, the Nigerian man said he would make a similar decision if he ever found himself in such a situation.
I do not pray for things like this to happen to me. I am saying it categorically: there is nothing in this world that would make me go and conduct a DNA test on the kids that I already love, he said.
He added that even if a child turned out to have been fathered by another man, he would continue to regard the child as his.
If that child belongs to the other person, so be it. But in my mind and till I go to heaven, that child remains my child. Doing that DNA might cause greater damage,” he said.
His comments have generated mixed reactions online, with some social media users praising his emphasis on love, responsibility and the emotional bond between a parent and child, while others argued that biological paternity remains important, particularly in matters concerning family identity, inheritance and lineage.
The debate has once again drawn attention to the sensitive issue of paternity fraud and DNA testing in Nigeria, with social media users divided over whether a man should seek biological confirmation when doubts about a child’s paternity arise.
The man’s position, however, was clear: for children he has already accepted, raised and loved, he would rather preserve the relationship than pursue a DNA test that could potentially alter the family dynamic.
