Stepdaughter of Enugu woman gifted massively after going viral over childlessness pleads for mercy as her own mother, a co-wife, battles depression

• Gertrude Ngwu’s stepdaughter says her mother, the second wife, has stopped eating and is struggling emotionally amid the online backlash.

• The young woman appeals to Nigerians to consider her mother's age and blood pressure as she pleads for compassion.

• Gertrude Ngwu’s stepdaughter says her family did not expect the childlessness controversy to escalate and begs Nigerians to forgive them.

The young woman, whose mother is Gertrude’s co-wife and the second wife of their husband, took to social media to plead with Nigerians to temper their criticism of the family.

According to her, the growing attention and support for Gertrude have taken a toll on her mother, who has reportedly stopped eating and become a shadow of herself.

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Her appeal comes amid an outpouring of goodwill towards Gertrude, with Nigerians reportedly making plans to gift her a car and a house following the circulation of the video.

In an emotional plea, she said her mother was struggling to cope with the attention surrounding the incident and urged Nigerians not to overlook her wellbeing.

“Nigerians, the world at large, please, we are begging. Mama is no longer finding this funny. Depression is real, and her health is beginning to suffer.

We, her children, are begging. We, the children of the second wife, are begging. People keep coming to visit the first wife. We are not jealous about it. We are happy. Yes, we appreciate it. But people should also consider our mother, who is the second wife.

People should have mercy. Depression is real. If anything happens to this woman now, who will be our mother? We are begging you people to be considerate and temper justice with mercy.”

She further disclosed that the family did not anticipate the situation would escalate to its current level. She appealed for forgiveness and urged Nigerians to consider her mother's age and health, particularly her blood pressure.

“We did not expect it to get to this level, but Jesus! What you are seeing now, my God, please be considerate. People should have mercy on us. We are begging you people.

Remember, if there is no sin, there will be no forgiveness. We have sinned, and we have sinned. People should forgive us. People should have mercy on us. People should consider this woman's age. Consider her health.

Consider her B.P., bikonu. Our popular celebrity visited, and in his song, he said that this one is our mother, while every other mother is a counterfeit. Our mother is not a counterfeit. She is a mother. She should also be your mother.

She has seen all these videos circulating online, on Facebook, TikTok and everywhere else. For days now, this woman has not been herself. She cannot even eat in our house. People should have mercy now. We are begging.

She is not the first person to be a second wife, and she will not be the last. Yes, a lot of young girls are even aspiring to become second wives.”

The young woman also acknowledged the criticism directed at the family, but maintained that her mother's circumstances should be considered.

"Some of you are calling us different names. It is not our fault. This was how we were raised. Even as we grew older, we tried to do our best because we did not show that part," she said

Recall that the Enugu woman Gertrude Ngwu received an outpouring of support from Nigerians after a video of her crying at her husband's chieftaincy coronation went viral. The video captured a moment when the children of her husband's other wife presented their mother with cash and several wrappers, while Gertrude appeared to receive no similar gesture. An appeal by the master of ceremonies for guests to extend the same generosity to her also appeared to go unanswered.

The incident sparked widespread sympathy, with some Nigerians offering to adopt her and others offering financial support.

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