The fears, thirst for married men and survival strategies\
Daniel Anokwuru
Prostitution has been practised throughout ancient and modern cultures. It is called the world’s oldest profession. In the olden days, prostitutes were rarely seen in the open. They strictly remained in their rooms, waiting for men to knock on their doors. The profession has evolved. Prostitutes no longer entertain fear or shame. They now ply their trade day and night, deploying different strategies to woo customers in hotels, brothels, clubs and other spots. The trade is now glamorously christened as “hustling”.
The trade goes beyond just dressing up and jumping into the street to look for men. There are many secrets and practices, which you must adhere to in order to play safe.
The Nigerian Xpress reporter went round some brothels in Lagos and found out practices prostitutes engage in. At Melody Inn in the Alaba International Market area of Ojo, a resident prostitute, who identified herself simply as Gift, told the reporter that for her to remain alive, she hardly followed men out. She said all the girls in the brothel were warned of the dangers in following men home.
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She said: “This is my 17th year of staying here. I have three children; they are with my mother in the village. I usually send money to them every weekend. I was married so I cannot go out anyhow.”
When asked if she would not go outside to look for men if all the men that visited the brothel and slept with her had got tired of her, she said: “There is no way they can get tired of me. The longer you stay in a particular brothel, the more customers you make. Some of the guys do bring their friends for us. Occasionally, we sleep with them without charge just to compensate them.”
Another lady in her 30s in the same brothel, Princess Faith (not her real name), told the reporter that for you to be a prostitute, you must, first of all, have a child. She said if you don’t have a child and anything happens to your womb, your chances of having a child in life are gone. “We protect ourselves a lot; we don’t meet men without protection. Some will beg you that they will pay you higher, but we will refuse,” she added.
The street life
Prostitutes residing in the brothels never experience the headache of those that patrol around the city, looking for men. They believe that life is just once, and spiritual protection is a vital weapon in the trade. At The Heavens Hotel, located in Festac Town, one of the prostitutes, Nancy Sugar, told the reporter that girls that patrol the city at night are not afraid of death because they are all fortified. She revealed that some of the girls serve as informants for the bad boys.
According to her: “We are not afraid of anything. What do you think you can do to me? You are too small. All the girls you see here are spiritually equipped. We all have different groups we belong to. We travel very far from Lagos to get our protection. Following a man you don’t know to an unknown destination is a dangerous game. So, we always embark on the journey prepared. If they try anything stupid, we strike them first and find our way.”
Naomi, a mother of two, shared the same belief with Sugar. She recalled that when she left home with a friend who introduced her into the profession, they lodged in a hotel. However, they noticed that all the money they were making was going into paying the hotel bills. She said what girls now do is to contribute money and rent a self-contained apartment.
“My friend introduced me to other girls; they showed me their charms. Some were having ring, waist bead, powder, and lipstick. They lectured me and gave me the rules I must follow. I had no option but to follow their way because I wanted to be alive too. I have heard many stories of how some girls were used for ritual.
“Before we were residing in a hotel but we noticed that all the cash we were making was going to the hotel management, we then decided to rent a house of our own. We are three girls in the room; we contributed money together to rent the apartment. Some landlords will refuse to their apartment if they see only single girls. What we usually do is to get a guy, who would assist us to get the apartment and make the payment on our behalf before we pack into the building. They tell the landlords that we are their sisters that came to learn work.”
The online made easy
The emergence of different social media platforms has advanced prostitution more. Some students now take advantage of social media to engage in prostitution right from the comfort of their home. They negotiate for their payment online, get paid before travelling to meet their client. The reporter engaged a girl, who claimed to be a student of the University of Benin, Chioma (other names withheld), through Facebook messenger. During online conversation, she agreed to visit the reporter if he could afford to pay N30,000, which would cover her transport fare and two nights romance with him.
Mr. Kennedy Uba, a trader in the Trade Fair International Market, said that going to the street to look for a lady is an old-time practice. He maintained that social media has made getting a date easier. He said: “As a guy, you don’t need to waste your time looking for a girl in the street. With social media, you can get any kind of girl you want, even a virgin, once you have your money. Most girls now prefer online prostitution because it keeps their identity hidden.”
Between Yahoo Boys and married men
Despite claiming to be fortified, the girls of easy life maintained that they preferred married men to single guys. They explained that married men paid them handsomely and would never try to hurt or harm them.
The reporter had an encounter with 22-year-old Rose in front of Rumours in Festac. He informed her that he had two clients, a married man and a single guy. She quickly jumped for the married man. Her reason was that the man would be kinder to her than the single guy.
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“Married men treat you with respect. Any amount you negotiate with them, they will give it to you, she said. “Sometimes, they would pay you higher if you treat them very well. They will never make a problem with you so that their wife would not know about their extramarital affairs. But the young guys are stupid. You will negotiate with them, in the morning, they will start telling you stories. They are always ready to fight with you. It is a problem if they take you to their house. Instead of the person you discussed with, they will invite their friend to join them in bed.
“Some of them are Yahoo boys; they are now doing local Yahoo. After sleeping with you, in the morning, they will accuse you of stealing their money or phone. They will pretend that you drugged them. Before you know it, you have paid for what you did not steal. There was a day one accused me of stealing his ATM card and transferring his money. He brought the police; I spent two days in detention before I was released. Most of them are desperate for money and can easily use you for ritual. So, we don’t always feel comfortable anytime they call us to sit with them. Our eyes will be searching for married men because they are the best for us.”
