All The Things To Know About Adoption In Nigeria

• All you should know about adoption in Nigeria, the application process, documents, things to consider

Women are becoming more receptive to the idea of adoption in Nigeria. Adoption used to be considered taboo and people made a mockery of families who wanted to opt for adoption.

Thankfully it’s no longer a thing of shame, instead, a lot of families are taking it as the new norm.

Adoption is the process, action, or fact of legally taking another person’s child and bringing them up as your own.

In Nigeria, adoption may be effected under statutory law.

For adoption to take place, the court is vested with powers to grant an adoption order depending on the type of adoption taking place.

The court also has the right to cancel an adoption process if it thinks or get reports that the adoptive parents applied undue pressure.

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Application Procedure

The provisions of the Child Right Act 2003 which are the principal legislation regulating adoption in Nigeria set out the required qualifications a person must possess to be eligible to adopt a child.

The applicant must not be less than 25 years of age and must be at least 21 years older than the child to be adopted.

Where the applicant is unmarried, there must be evidence that he or she has attained the age of 35 years and that the child to be adopted is of the same sex.

The person should also have a good personality and must have the financial capability to take care of the child.

Adoption laws in most parts of Nigeria state that an application for an adoption order must be made in the prescribed form and submitted to the registrar of the competent court.

Documents for adoption

• Marriage certificate or a sworn declaration of marriage
• Birth certificates
• Written consent of spouse when the applicant is marries
• Two passport photographs of each applicant
• Medical certificate of fitness of the applicant from a government hospital
• Evidence that the applicants are citizens of Nigeria
• Evidence of means to maintain the child and any other documents, requirements, and information as the Court may require for the purpose of adoption.

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Things to know before you consider adoption

1. Know Your Limit

Adoptions Shouldn’t be taken lightly, embarking on the adoption process is exciting, scary, intense, and emotional.

Parents should take their time to think through the adoption process and the impact it will make on their family and on the life of the child.

Most of the children up for adoption have been taken away from their birth parents and come through the care system, having possibly experienced abuse or neglect.

2. Adoption Is Not Cheap

Asides taking a lot of time and emotional strength, adoption would also cost you money.

3. Adoption Can Be Time-Consuming

You would need a lot of patience and perseverance if you want to adopt, the process can be lengthy and complicated depending on some factors.

With adoption, nothing is guaranteed, somedays everything might be on track, on other days there’s a lot of paperwork. Most importantly it

4. Not All Children Given Up For Adoption Are Orphans

Sometimes parents just give up their child because they think the child would be better off being raised by someone else.

5. Develop Your Support System

Love is not enough. You think it will be, but the moment you start planning adoption and imagining your family is finally all together.

It’s going to take a lot of love, from other people like your friends and family, so start working on your support system now.

6.  Have All The Necessary Documents

Paperwork and adoptions work hand in hand, so make sure you have all your documents like a marriage license, birth certificate, passport, medical certificate, and any other important documents.

7. Pre Adoption Counseling

It is important to connect and meet with other families who have navigated the adoption process so they can provide extra insight into the process and help normalize the experiences your family might encounter.