Reports that a Nigerian couple residing in the UK gave birth to a white baby girl made headlines news in Nigeria Wednesday, with almost all newspapers reporting the story on their front pages.
The picture of the Nigerian couple’s family of five, including the white baby girl named Nmachi (which means beauty of God), was prominently used by the papers.
The baby, who was born to Ben and Angela Ihegboro of Woolwich, South London, is being described as a ‘miracle’.
The couple’s two other children, a boy (Chisom) and a girl (Dumebi), are black.
The reports quoted doctors as saying the baby, with blue eyes and blonde hair, is not an albino, and that her appearance could have been due to ‘unknown genetic mutation’.
‘My mum is a black Nigerian, although she has a bit fairer skin than mine. But we don’t know of any white ancestry. We wondered if it was a genetic twist. But even then, what is with the long curly blonde hair?’ the father was quoted as saying.