Why prostitution cannot ‘die’ in Nigeria

 Prostitution is regarded as one of the oldest professions. Efforts to rid it proved abortive because top government officials are partakers and beneficiaries of the trade. Will prostitution ever be a thing of the past in Nigeria?

Monica Osaro (not real name), 25, hails from one of the south-south states in Nigeria. She was lured into prostitution by her Aunt when she lost her parents in a ghastly accident.

Some undergraduates being arranged for a party of a politician

According to her, she was promised a plum job in Italy by her Aunt but on getting there, she discovered it was prostitution and because she does not have money for flight ticket back home, she succumbed. Monica said all the money they make goes to their madam who only purchases explicitly flashy dresses and make-up for them to look good.

She disclosed that she slept with over 300 men in three years before she was deported and since there was nothing to fall back to; she continued the trade on her return to the country. Monica is just one of the ladies out there that was forced into prostitution.

Nigeria is regarded as one of the highest suppliers of prostitutes in some parts of the world. Statistics have shown that they are dominant in Italy, France and other parts of Europe. There are claims that Nigeria and Cameroon are two big suppliers of black African prostitutes paving the streets of Italy and France at night.

However investigations have revealed that the sex trade is practiced all over the world hence it has refused to die. For instance, other African countries like Algeria, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Morocco, Mali, Tunisia, Ivory Coast and Senegal also prostitute in France.

Meanwhile, one of our correspondents who just returned from Benin City, Edo state disclosed that Time Out Fun Paradise is one of the world’s biggest sex markets. He revealed that women of various ages, shapes and sizes are seen in that area competing for attention.

He said the place could be described as atmosphere for political rally or a football match. We gathered that it is so because majority of girls who were deported from Italy and other parts of Europe found the place as their resort. He said because of the stiff competition there, women threw decorum to the wind; some flaunt their breasts for their customers to see, apart from their provocative dresses which reveal most parts of their bodies.

Despite the girls in their number, their prices are not cheap as their customers were seen complaining. Our correspondent gathered that they charge as high as between N5, 000 and N15,000 for an all night while ‘short-time’ goes for about N2,000 depending on the customer’s bargaining power or relationship with the person.

Our investigation revealed that many of the commercial sex workers, our correspondent came across with are students; some actually engage in legitimate business in the afternoon but practice prostitution at night to augment their earning. Some of them are from a wealthy family but are practicing the trade because they want to have fun.

Some commercial sex workers in front of a hotel

However, corporate prostitution is the new trend in town especially on campuses. Ladies drop their phone numbers, photographs for their middlemen to help get contacts. Our correspondent came across a lady who simply gave her name as Mummy ‘G’ who supplies girls to rich men and politicians.

According to her, she has contacts of girls and either make a call or send text message to them whenever they are needed for occasions. She disclosed that most of her girls are undergraduates because her clients don’t like illiterates as companions to avoid unnecessary embarrassment at their gatherings.

There is no doubt that prostitution is a menace in the campuses of Nigerian universities. A professor (name withheld) once said sex is the easiest and cheapest to get on the campuses of the country’s tertiary institution. 

He said it is a shame that in a desperate bid to join the clique of so called ‘big girls’ on campus or build a false air of a wealthy background around them, Nigerian students, especially the ladies, will go to any length just to show off.

When in the 1970s, school girls went collected from their hostels for night runs, nobody raise an eyebrow. Then in the 1980s, secondary school girls in hostels were "jumping fences" to go do runs and now female undergraduates had grown to full-blown prostitution settling lecturers in cash/kind, just to obtain an Ordinary pass degree, the game has become an all-comers’ affairs. The arrival of new technologies especially the Blackberry has worsened the matter.

Many ladies have been lured into the hands of money ritualists and occult group members. Many students have lost their lives with their parents not able to determine what hit them while many became barren through excessive abortions ruining their wombs. Despite that, more ladies are still into the trade.

The growing rate of campus prostitution in Nigerian tertiary institutions today is raising a serious concern among Nigerians. It is often said the ivory towers is the last stage of moulding leaders of tomorrow, in preparatory for their engagement as leaders and policy makers of the future. If the towers are now saturated with the menaces of prostitution, then the nation is in deep crisis.

Campus prostitution is now a common business in Nigerian tertiary institutions; with the culprits not hiding their trades. There is no tertiary institution that is immune of this crisis. Experts said it is a bad omen for motherhood and academic excellence. 

Ironically, the growing rate of campus prostitution in her tertiary institutions has affected the decay in the leadership structures of the government.

Our findings have shown that the Nigerian state and the leadership structures have been the major promotion of this illicit business in our campuses. Available finding reveals that ladies are often used to appease a visiting guest whenever there are social events such as political conventions, party meeting, and social jamborees. They use these ladies to satisfied personal and groups whimsical desires.

However, the present high rise of prostitution witnessed in our institutions is not unconnected with the fact that politicians who are the major customers are paying lip-service to the menace. No wonder, the business of campus prostitution is receiving enough patronage.

A visit to females’ hotels at night, one will be amaze with the kind of flashing cars, mostly owned by politicians, lawmakers, businessmen and major offices holders, who come in their numbers to pick these young undergraduates for one functions or the other.

Although it has been argued by some observers, that, the rise in campus prostitution is a direct result of growing rate of poverty and hopelessness in the country; occasion by failure of leadership over the years. Observers still believe that it is purely the product of new lifestyle, ostentations and over materialization of the society by the new crops of leaders in the country.

The failure of Nigerian leaders to develop the nation which has led to widening gap between the poor and the rich has come with its own repercussions of various social vices such as prostitution, drugs trafficking, moral bankruptcy.

No doubt, prostitution has affected every sphere of our lives including academics. Students no longer respect their lecturers or constituted authorities in their respective schools because of their connections in high places. There is academic indiscipline, which is precipitating serious crisis of academic excellence and quality of graduates that are turnout every year. That is why the type of graduates churned out nowadays cannot speak good English or write properly.

The values of hardwork, research and intellectuals pursuit, has been thrown to the dustbin of history; as most of these students have already know that the only things they need is to bribe the lecturer, involve both in kind and cash to get the require marks.

The new trend of prostitution is lesbianism. Beautiful girls, rich women especially campus ladies now practice lesbianism. The worrisome amongst them is secondary school students.

Teenagers caught in the act

Most sex workers with secondary school education agreed that their involvement in the salacious act dates back to their boarding school days when they were initiated by older girls. A lady, who simply gave her name as Grace during a chat with a social media said, “I was introduced to lesbianism when I was in secondary school. I was in a boarding school in Benin, Edo State.

Grace, who is an undergraduate in one of the universities in the South said she shuttles between campus and clubs, hotel rooms or sleek houses in Lagos and Port-Harcourt most weekends to have sex with rich women.

She admitted that sometimes, she services men. “It’s better to do it with a girl.” This new trend of prostitution is fast spreading among teenagers, but is not restricted to them. The highs and mighty in the society are also involved. Tribe or religion is no barrier.

Grace said unlike the ordinary sex trade between men and women, they do not stand by the roadside but usually meet in some of the strip clubs, exchange contacts or leave straightaway for their escapades. Rich women are involved mainly for pleasure while the workers are in it for money.

She disclosed that they identify themselves through compliments like; “Oh! I love your legs. You have sweet boobs. You look beautiful. They also wink and look seductively at you. If they get a good response from you, then they know they are with the right person. Some possess a high level of courage. They can walk up to any lady they find attractive as long as the environment is safe for them.”

Our findings show that lesbianism pays more. Unlike the other trade between man and woman, the payment for services ranges between N15,000 and N100,000 a night depending on the customer. This might be the reason why many ladies are indulging in the acts.

Grace further revealed that most of their customers are found in beauty salon, luxurious hotels, swimming pools and expensive shopping.

Married women are also not left out. They woo girls in need of money, including their friends’ daughters. A married woman confided in a friend of our correspondent that their husbands are either not good enough in bed or too busy to attend to their sexual needs. “She told me their husbands do not satisfy her and sometimes she is too busy or tired and because she doesn’t want to cheat on him with another man that is why she opted for a lady. The good thing about it is that men cannot suspect them. Any woman can hang out with them and men are not bothered.”

Teenagers are also not left out of the sex trade business. Over the years, the Lagos has been dominant with teenage prostitution. They were mostly found in Obalende, one of the areas notorious for prostitutes who are mostly between the ages of 13 and 17 years. 

Teenage prostitution is fast spreading round the country especially amongst those who were lured through child trafficking. And those who started at a tender age found it difficult to let it go because of the ‘pleasure’ they derived in it especially at old age.

However, some states have been working round the clock to see how to curb the menace called prostitution. Recently, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT set up two training centres for commercial sex workers as part of measures to remove them from the streets. The training centres would be located at Bwari Area Council and Lugbe in Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC.

Before now, prostitutes were warned to leave the territory or face the wrath of the law but that warning seems to fall on deaf ears as they relocated from their usual spots to another.

Some prostitutes serving their client

To worsen the matter, when they are arrested, politicians and top government officials call for their release. This was why the FCT Administration, proposed to spend N5 billion this year to rehabilitate prostitutes and destitute who loiter the streets of Abuja, though there are outcry on the whopping sum.

Oyo state government has also taken step to curb prostitution in the State. Recently, the State clamped down on brothels operating in residential areas to curb their influence on young persons.

The state Commissioner for Environment and Habitat, Lowo Obisesan, said the action was to discourage brothels from operating in residential areas. “Operating brothels in residential areas shows irresponsibility on the part of the owners, who do not care about the impact on children, who are exposed to such acts of indecency.

While some states are making frantic efforts to curb the menace, some people feel they are infringing on the rights of the sex workers and instead solicited for it to be legalized.

An Activist, David Okoro quoted Karl Kraus, who said that “Corruption is worse than prostitution. The latter might endanger the morals of an individual; the former invariably endangers the morals of the entire country.”

Okoro said, “We arrest prostitutes, yet praise politicians; we prosecute prostitutes, yet honour political bastards who, for the most part, are the same folks who weaken our institutions and corrupt the larger society. He however advocated for excellent education, good medical, dental, and family benefits. “And that there should be stringent disease and pregnancy tests. It makes no sense wasting valuable resources chasing after innocent citizens. Prostitution, therefore, should be legalised.”

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu on the floor of House during a debate on a motion on the scourge of human trafficking in the country recently, asked the Senate to consider the possibility of legalising prostitution in the country.

He said since it has become impossible to stop prostitution in the land; the Senate should consider regulating the act in the country. “We need to regulate prostitution in this country so that if anyone wants to indulge in prostitution, the person should be registered and issued with a license. If we say we want to stop it, it would be difficult. It is done in other countries; let us regulate it by issuing license.”

Some ladies deported from Italy recently

However, some people do not believe in legalization of prostitution in the country. Gbenga Aderupopo, a legal luminary said people thought that the fear of contracting HIV/AIDS would have deterred many from going into prostitution, or continuing with it but instead, they were advised on how to protect themselves by using condom and other devices.

He said if prostitution is legalized, many girls will go into it. They would rather prefer to prostitute rather than get married and be controlled by men when they can get satisfied with different types of men. He warned that if legalized, there would be widespread of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

“Men, especially husband will also be licensed to commit extra marital affairs, and if the wives complain, some of them may say that even the government recognises prostitution by making it legal.”

Experts believe there is need to fight prostitution in Nigeria. They suggested that government should make it the primary duty of government agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency, both at federal, state and local level to fight prostitution including the schools.

Some believe that studies on moral should be taught right from the primary to higher institutions while parents should also be concerned about what their children do or the companies they keep.

School officials especially those in boarding schools, camps where ladies or men stay together should be closely monitored to avoid lesbianism or gay practice. Government should also be responsible and responsive to engage its citizens, so as to discourage people from resorting to prostitution

Amiru Adamu, the publisher of Northern Wind Magazine believes that the possible solution to this menace lies with the parents who should supervise their wards at schools more effectively, since the authorities trusted with the job have failed.

“Religious groups such as Federation of Moslem Women’s Associations of Nigeria (FOMWAN) and its Christian counterpart as well as other concerned groups should come up with effective campaigns against prostitution in our higher institutions. The campaigns should aim at educating the students on the negative effects of these acts, health and moral wise. Efforts like this might perhaps arrest the situation or at least save those who are yet to go beyond redemption.”

However, some experts still believe that it will be difficult to curb the menace because of the support and patronage it enjoys from politicians and top government officials including the ‘pleasures’ they (girls) derive in it.