Bad Economy Affecting Our Business –Lagos Prostitutes [ASHAWO]

“There is no money in the country. Guys are complaining, but at all at all na him be witch. Wetin will man pickin do? We have to collect the pay like that. I have been here since and the guys wey dey come my way just dey price anyhow. You no see as you dey price too...


And if I tell you to do quick rest for N3, 000, you will say no. They want it all through the night,” said one of the prostitutes, who gave her name as Jessica. She spoke both pidgin and proper English.

According to Sunday Telegraph’s investigation, the prevailing downturn in the economy seems to be affecting everything in the country, including the services of commercial sex workers, who are currently complaining about bad business. Many of them were seen loitering without patronage. At the arrival of the correspondent, at Heavens, a popular night club on 1st Avenue, Festac, Lagos, about three different ladies came trying their luck.

One of them, Titi, was literally begging to be taken home by the correspondent, who priced her far below the normal prices (between N7,000 and N10, 000) charged on the axis. She had initially mentioned N15, 000 per night before the bargaining ensued.

The correspondent had priced her N5,000, which she eventually accepted and was saying “okay let’s go to your house, I will do you well, you will enjoy me.” Other ladies met on the same spot were insisting on N8000 or N10, 000 per night.

“Oga this one wey you dey price like this, you no go fit pay for all night. E go better if you go for quick rest. Quick rest na N2500. Let’s leave the full night. I have a place, where I lodge on 21 Road, let’s go there and enjoy ourselves. I’m sweet let’s just do quick rest first. Long night is N10, 000 but as you dey price so, you no fit pay for full night.

I will do you well and I will give you my number so that you can call anytime you need me,” said Stella, another woman of the night. It was surprising to see Jane, who was complaining about low or no patronage and the fact that our correspondent, isolated her for a discussion but didn’t take her home, prayed that God would give her another customer. “You know that you don’t want to carry me to your house and you came here and wasted my time.

If I had stood at that place, somebody else would have carried me. After now you will go and pray God to bless your business but you are here spoiling my own business. Go, let me wait and see if God will give me another customer this night.”

This was emotional outburst of this young lady, who thought she had caught a big fish for the night; perhaps, she didn’t see anything wrong with prostitution rather, what she does to keep body and soul together.

Similarly, some girls, who go into prostitution, have different things in mind.
Jane believes that God is aware of her business and perhaps, prays each night that God will give her a good customer (sex mate).

What an irony of life. Jane had also insisted that her price was N10, 000 and nothing less. The reporter was shocked to the marrow when Jane made this utterance. At Allen Avenue, Ikeja, at about few minutes after 11pm, another lady of easy virtue was met and although she started with N5000 for what she called, “short time,” she later accepted N2000 for “short time” but refused to go all night for, conceivably, fear of entering into wrong hands, she didn’t accept to go to Isolo and as a result, didn’t discuss her terms and conditions for a sex vigil.

“N2000 is the last price for short-time. Isolo is far, I can’t go to Isolo. Let me stay here and keep hassling.” In another development, it was obvious that low patronage was plaguing them due to the prevalent economic situation in the country. Yes, according to Tricia, men still come around because they need women, but they are not willing to settle for high prices. In Tricia’s eyes, you will find thick layers of desperation. She appealed: “I will do you well.

If you want, I can do you inside this car. I will s..k you and after s..king you, I will f..k you. You will enjoy it and then I will give you my number. If you want all night, I can go for N4, 000 but if you want quick rest, I can take N2, 000. Let me come in…”

But despite her desperate moves to be patronised, the Correspondent turned down her self-invitation into the car. She was the only person in all, who accepted N4, 000. This happened between 12pm and 1am. At another location, a nursing mother prostitute in Aguda, Surulere, one Juliet, said, the country is tough, and she cannot afford to stay at home in order that her girl child does not die of hunger.
“I have a child. In the course of my business, I got pregnant and I didn’t want to abort the baby. It wasn’t easy for me then but I needed to keep the baby. I used to give her Chelsea dry gin every night so that she can sleep all through the night until I come back. Yes, I still get customers, off course, they don’t know I have a child but even if they know, they will still patronise me,” she said confidently. Also, another girl, Shola, who looked between 17 and 21 years old, said her own price was N8, 000, “non negotiable”.

She refused home service due to a bitter experience she had, which she didn’t disclose to the correspondent. However, the correspondent’s curiosity to know why she was so scared of home service, prompted him to press her. But she replied: “Never mind.” Dark and tiny-waist Shola, who claimed to be a student of the University of Port Harcourt, does not believe in talking, rather, she allows her waist entice any man.

“I don’t believe in talking, my action will speak for me.” “I don’t do this always. I only come out when I’m very broke.
Like now, I’m very broke and I need money. Since you said you just want to make love to me once, please, instead of keeping me in your house after that, please let me go and perchance, I can get another customer.

Instead of N8000, you can have me for N5000 and let me go,” Cross Rivers State’s Cynthia appealed to the correspondent, thinking she had a customer. On the safety precautions As safety precautionary measures, some of the sex workers do not accept to visit a guy at home for fear of being gang rapped but anyone that is contemplating doing that will ask a number of questions to the potential customers, to determine the level of her safety, including: “Where do you live? Do you live alone?

And what do you do for a living?” are some of the questions begging for answers from the male clients. In the same manner, when Sunday Telegraph approached Zika, one of the sex workers at Apapa, and tried to move away from the vicinity for fear of running into someone who knows him, the girl said: “Please don’t drive off, we have not finished and you have not told me what you want.
Please, just take it easy. I don’t want to go far. You can’t really say who is who. You don’t trust guys now.” But on the assurance that she wasn’t going to be hurt, she calmed down and started responding, though with some level of scepticism.

Responding to the question, why she was so scared of going home, she said she had been raped by three guys, who lived together. “ They claimed that they paid me for the night and therefore, must continue till the morning. Yes, I was paid but I didn’t bargain for that and since then I have always being careful.
You men can be mean,” she concluded.