It was an impromptu gathering as usual just as the topic of discussion bordered on what was perceived as a controversial news report.

It all began courtesy of an exclamation by one of the parliamentarians at this new-stand gathering. Pointing at the front-page news story with an accompanying picture, the fellow who gave his name as Alfred quipped thus: "Na wa O!

Can that be possible? How can a man and his wife who are black Africans give birth to a pure Oyibo baby? Ah-ah, this kind thing is strange O. In fact, there's nothing that somebody will not hear about these days".

A fellow parliamentarian, Nnamdi, was quick to respond as he said: "The surprising thing about it is that the baby is not even an albino. We know that an albino baby is not a strange thing among black people. But this one get as e be because the child is a complete Oyibo pikin with long hairs and blue eyes. What I think is that it's possible that a mistake was made in the hospital where the baby was born. Supposing it was another person's baby they mistakingly gave to that Nigerian couple...".

But a parliamentarian, by name Dele had interrupted, saying Nnamdi's suspicion was not likely. According to him: "This thing happened abroad where they don't make that kind of mistake. If it's in Nigeria, I will say maybe it is possible. But Oyibo people are usually thorough when it comes to something like that. The truth of the matter based on what I have read is that genetics have something to do with the birth of that white baby.

Genetics is something that can behave in such a funny way that you can see two very black couple giving birth to a light complexioned baby or even children. I have seen it happen...".

But a parliamentarian by name Solomon had immediately pooh-poohed the explanation. "Abeg, leave that matter. Which kind gene is that that will make black people to give birth to Oyibo? They should ask the mother of that baby some questions; she's the one to tell us what happened; how she take waka," he submitted.

Alfred readily agreed with him, saying: "Yes O, it's the woman that should tell us what happened because I strongly suspect that she must have played an away match with an Oyibo man who pregnanted her in the process. Let them return back to Nigeria. By the time the mother-in-law starts asking her questions the truth will come out".

Responding to this, a parliamentarian, Ochuko, queried thus: "Okay, if the woman went and slept with an Oyibo man, how come the pikin is not a half-caste? Instead what we have is a pure Oyibo baby. Usually when a black person marries Oyibo, their child will be half-caste. I have never seen a case where the baby will come out as a pure white person".

For parliamentarian Harrison: "Maybe she befriended a white man while she was pregnant. I have heard of a case where a pregnant woman gave birth to a dwarf when she and her husband are both tall. It was later that it was discovered that she was always in the company of one short man in the place she was working. One old woman then said it was because of her closeness to this man that her baby turned out to be a dwarf".

Although this comment had engendered all round laughter, parliamentarian Dele had dismissed it as untenable and bordering on the bizarre. "What you're saying is totally unrealistic; it is not something to be taken serious because I can't imagine how such a thing is possible. Like I said before, I'm sure there's a scientific explanation for the birth of that white baby.

I don't really think it's a strange phenomenon. Let us wait for them to do the DNA test before we start jumping to all kinds of conclusion about the matter," he said.

Solomon, however, maintained his position that the baby's mother had some explanation to make, adding that: "It's also possible that she and her husband planned the whole thing. Maybe both of them agreed for her to sleep with a white man so that they could have a half-caste child. But instead of that happening they now have correct Oyibo baby".

This elicited more laughter as the other parliamentarians could not tell if Solomon was serious or joking.