Nigeria, May 14 -- On a bright Thursday morning in February, Chibueze Okoli stood at the edge of the maternity section of the Alimosho General Hospital in Lagos State.

Pacing, the middle-aged man's eyes darted toward an open-air shed where his wife and over 30 other pregnant women clapped and sang the familiar tune, "At the end of nine months, I will carry my baby." The sound echoed through the open-air maternity structure as their voices blended harmoniously.

A few minutes later, his wife walked over to his side. After a short conversation, he reached into his pocket and handed her a N1000 note. Mrs Okoli returned to join her fellow pregnant women as they started their routine exercise-gentle stretching. PREMIUM TIMES learnt that these...