By Dare Akogun
Nearly one in four men who underwent paternity testing at Smart DNA Nigeria was excluded as the biological father during the laboratory’s 2025/2026 reporting period, according to its latest report.
The laboratory, in a report released on Wednesday, disclosed that 23.6 per cent of recorded paternity test results during the period were negative, representing a marginal decline from 24 per cent recorded in the preceding reporting period and 26.1 per cent in 2023.
The figures indicate that the proportion of negative paternity results has declined consecutively over the three reporting periods, although the latest rate remains above 20 per cent.
Smart DNA’s Operations Manager, Elizabeth Digia, said the figures should be understood within the context of people seeking answers to unresolved questions about biological parentage.
“Most of the men and women who come to us are not coming because anyone told them to. They are coming because they cannot live with the question,” Digia said.
She stressed that paternity testing involved sensitive family circumstances that should be handled with dignity rather than sensationalism.
The report showed that men accounted for 78.6 per cent of first contacts for paternity testing, while women accounted for 15.2 per cent.
It also showed that men aged 41 and above constituted the largest age group among classified male records, accounting for 48 per cent, while children aged five or younger represented 59.5 per cent of those tested.
The figures suggest that questions about paternity are frequently being investigated when children are still young, although the data do not establish when suspicions about biological parentage first arose.
The report also revealed a notable pattern among firstborn children, with boys accounting for 56.1 per cent of negative firstborn outcomes during the latest reporting period.
This represented a decline from approximately 64.4 per cent recorded in the preceding period.
The development is particularly significant in Nigeria, where first sons often occupy important positions in family lineage, inheritance and succession.
A negative paternity result involving a first son could therefore have implications beyond the relationship between a couple, potentially affecting family identity, inheritance claims and disputes over belonging.
The Smart DNA report also showed a shift in the reasons Nigerians sought DNA testing.
It said immigration-related DNA testing declined from 13.1 per cent to 9.7 per cent, while Peace of Mind tests increased from 83.7 per cent to 87 per cent.
The figures indicate that private paternity verification now accounts for the overwhelming majority of the laboratory’s recorded cases.
Rather than being driven mainly by immigration requirements or court-related matters, the data suggest that a growing number of clients are seeking DNA testing to resolve personal doubts about biological parentage.
However, the 23.6 per cent negative-result figure should not be interpreted to mean that nearly one in four Nigerian fathers is unknowingly raising another man’s child.
The figure represents the proportion of negative results among people who sought testing at the laboratory and does not constitute a national prevalence rate.
People without reasons to question paternity are less likely to seek DNA testing. Consequently, Smart DNA’s client population cannot be assumed to represent Nigerian families generally.
The distinction is important given the emotional and social sensitivity surrounding paternity disputes.
Despite the decline from 26.1 per cent in 2023 to 24 per cent in 2024/2025 and 23.6 per cent in 2025/2026, the figures indicate that uncertainty over biological parentage remains a significant reason Nigerians turn to DNA technology.
The increasing use of DNA testing has also raised concerns about the consequences of negative results for families, particularly children.
Although a paternity test can provide a scientific answer to a question of biological parentage, the result may trigger emotional and social consequences for couples and children who have lived together as a family for years.
Experts have consequently urged men who receive negative results to avoid directing anger or blame at children, who have no control over the circumstances surrounding their birth or the decision to conduct a DNA test.
A child who suddenly becomes the focus of a dispute over biological parentage may experience rejection, confusion and emotional distress, particularly where the result contributes to the breakdown of the parents’ relationship.
The development has also brought renewed attention to the need for counselling and responsible handling of DNA results.
The latest figures point to a broader shift in how Nigerians resolve questions of biological identity.
For generations, questions about paternity were largely addressed through trust, family resemblance, personal assurances and social expectations.
However, increasing access to DNA testing is changing the equation by providing a scientific method for establishing biological relationships.
As testing becomes more accessible and public awareness increases, more Nigerians may turn to DNA analysis when doubts about biological parentage become difficult to resolve through conventional means.
But while DNA testing can establish biological relationships with a high degree of scientific certainty, the consequences of its findings can extend into marriage, inheritance, family relationships and the psychological wellbeing of children.
For Smart DNA, the latest figures therefore represent more than laboratory statistics.
They highlight the growing willingness of Nigerians to use scientific evidence to resolve questions about biological fatherhood, even as the decline in negative results over three consecutive reporting periods suggests a gradual reduction in the proportion of exclusions among the laboratory’s clients.
Nevertheless, with the negative-result rate still above 20 per cent, paternity testing is likely to remain a sensitive and emotionally charged issue for Nigerian families.
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