Greetings!
There should be paternity leave? Come on, a man is not a woman!
I've heard a lot of debate on this subject, and each time, I just hissed because, to me, there's nothing there to debate about. A man is not a woman, and there's no reason he should be granted leave from work because his wife gave birth.
Oh yeah, feel free, go ahead, and call me old-fashioned for not reasoning like those living in modernized and developed states. No matter what, it's a very odd idea for me. The only thing a company can do to celebrate a man (staff) whose wife just gave birth is to give him some money or just cut off a couple of working hours, say one or two, so he can go home to attend to the gathering at home. The gathering here does not necessarily mean a big party; I mean, to be with people who are coming to congratulate him and have a drink with them. And also, assist in some certain things.
Someone may want to ask, what if the workload is too much for the wife? Okay, no lies, a nursing mother is always overwhelmed with house chores, especially when it comes to the newborn baby. That's where our ever-valued African culture comes in: the husband's mother or the wife's mother comes to help in the situation. If neither of them is available, there's always a family member who can come and assist because nursing a baby at that very tender age can be very tedious and delicate and requires a special hand as well.
I know you may want to say that in this modern world, it's not advisable to have extended family members come and live with the family. Well, the only reason some people are reluctant to do this is that they have bad attitudes and can't accommodate others. That's it, period! In African culture, having the mother-in-law come and spend weeks or months when the baby is born is very necessary. In fact, that's their duty, not the husband's. The husband shouldn't seek leave from work just to stay at home 24/7 to bathe and feed both the wife and the baby.
I know the next question people in disagreement would like to ask is, "If the man can't be granted paternity leave, why do they give him bereavement leave?"
Now, if you compare the two, the emotional weight of bereavement is much heavier than that of childbirth. A man whose wife just gave birth can go to work feeling very happy and might even organize a giveaway for colleagues at work. But in the case of bereavement, that man can't even lighten up; his emotions will be down, and he could hardly speak.
In conclusion, I don't know where this paternity leave is practiced, but let it remain there, and let it not extend to Nigeria. If it's already being practiced in some organizations in Nigeria, let it remain there. It's not necessary!
Thanks for reading.