Technology is the driver of convenience; so easy has life become ever
since the emergence of technology and its continual improvement that
virtually anything can be purchased online ranging from food , clothes,
electronics, and even houses , by just a tap on any internet connected
device.
In fact , in recent times, the advent of social media has
paved the way for individuals in Nigeria to find a way around the
problem of unemployment as they have begun to use various platforms for
business purposes to showcase their goods , talents and skills which in
turn churns in some income to them.
Commercial sex workers are
not left out as they have grabbed such opportunity to ply their trade
online. The tech savvy among them have ditched their old fashioned modus
operandi of hanging by the road side at red light districts in a city
like Lagos.
Of course while some are still glued to remain by
road side waiting for patrons , some have decided to take their business
to the social media which they believe is more classy , profitable and
safe.
These ladies make use of some social media platforms to attract clients but in coded forms.
They
have their terms and condition which you either accept or decline . On
their platforms , they make use of raunchy pictures and lascivious
languages to advertise themselves to the public and prospective
customers .
For instance , during a chat with Saturday Punch over
some bottles of alcoholic beverages , a fashion designer who identified
himself simply as Abimbola , explained how he had engaged with at least
three commercial sex workers who he met on a mobile application which
name is similar to the popular Instagram.
He explained that ever
since his five - year relationship ended in 2017 , he drowned himself in
work and anytime he felt Hot , he would rather pitch his tent with a
commercial sex worker .
Abimbola explained that initially, he
would drive down to Allen Avenue to ‘ select ’ any lady he wanted for
the night but he stopped ever since his friend introduced him to the
mobile application.
He said , “After my last relationship ended ,
I decided to face my business squarely but bodi no be firewood. So
sometimes when I have to blow off steam , I drive down to Allen to pick a
girl for the night . I did that for a while before a friend of mine
told me of a mobile application whereby I can literally order for a girl
online. We would do all the negotiations online; I would tell her all I
want from her . If she agrees , she comes to my house and we have sex .
Ever since I was introduced to the app , I never went back to Allen. ”
The
fashion designer explained that the mobile application has saved him
time and fuel for his car that would convey him to Allen. “I know I am a
workaholic, so I really do not have time for frivolities. The reason I
subscribe to the application till date is because if I am Hot during the
daytime , I don’ t need to wait till nightfall neither do I need to
stress myself and drive down to Allen .
All I need do is switch
on my mobile data , browse through the girls in the neighbourhood , we
negotiate and once one agrees to my terms , I continue with my work till
she comes over to my house . It is so convenient . I would probably
delete the application once I find the right woman for me but till then,
it is helping me to ‘ ease tension , ’” he said .
Aside from the
application known to Abimbola , there are other mobile applications
that Nigerian commercial sex workers are leveraging on to parade their
craft . Saturday Punch findings showed that most of these applications
are meant to be messaging apps but these ladies have found a way to make
them money -spinning applications .
Kazeem Danjuma , a farmer
told Saturday Punch that he has an application on his phone which he
visits anytime he is Hot and once he logs onto the application, he is
good ‘ to go ’ . He noted that he stumbled on the application and
thought it was a normal messaging app till the ladies he met began
asking him this particular question , ‘ hook up ?’ ‘ short time or long
?’
He said that initially he did not understand and the ladies
were quick to quit the conversation once they noticed that he did not
understand them till one day he decided to play along .
“ To be
honest , I was trying to download another application but I was not
concentrating so I downloaded this messaging application. I did not want
to delete it because I felt it would be a waste of data, so I logged in
through my Facebook account and I started chatting with the girls .
I
noticed that whenever I was trying to make a decent conversation , they
kept asking me if I wanted a short time or long time . Initially , I
did not understand but one day I decided to play along . After I told
the girl I wanted short time , she told me her price range and that was
when it was clear to me that she was a commercial sex worker .
I
went through her pictures and they were all raunchy , they turned me on
and I invited her over . It was one of the most effortless sex I had in
my life . Since then, I have kept the application even though I have
changed my phones several times. ”
He opened up that he had met at least four girls on the application.
During
an interaction with a student of a federal university who simply
prefers to be addressed as Adejumo , when the subject was brought up, he
simply laughed and said that there was a mobile application where the
girls are ‘ bad oo. ’
He noted that as students , they were in
the know of most of these applications and further hinted that some of
the girls who advertise their crafts on these apps are students as well .
Adejumo also revealed ways to know if girls on the mobile applications are ‘ normal girls ’ or ‘ runs girls ’ .
He
said , “Bros , it is quite easy to differentiate the ‘ runs girls ’
from the normal girls looking for love. I am aware of all the mobile
applications you mentioned but it is only ‘ sure boys ’ that know of
them . As students , we know about them and to tell you the truth, some
of our female counterparts are on these mobile applications looking for
quick money . I have met two girls from my school on the site.
“ I
am certain that if you log on to any of them, you would see on the girl
’ s bio , ‘ hook up only ’ , it is a term that shows that she is a
commercial sex worker . Also , from experience , if you see bios like , ‘
go straight to the point , I am not here for long talk’ , ‘ don’ t ask
me JAMB questions, say what you want’ , ‘ I am a masseuse and I can
offer happy hour , ’ bios like this tend to show that the lady is a
commercial sex worker . ”
Saturday Punch findings show that these
ladies also use popular social media applications like Facebook and
they tend to be more daring based on their profile names.
For
instance , as seen on Facebook , a young lady ’ s profile name is, ‘
Olosho Egbeda ’ , which literally means , Egbeda prostitute in English .
Her Facebook bio further says , “ Olosho olobo codeine ni mi … that all
I want … u have it … oya let’ s f** k ourselves to death (sic ). ”
Another
young lady created a profile on Facebook with the name Nofisat Olobo
Icloud and her bio states , ‘ I am a real olosho( commercial sex worker
). I can do 3 sum with just 5 k (sic ) . ”
A lady who seems to be
in her early 20 s also created a Facebook profile with the name , Obo
Langido and in her bio , she explicitly stated , “ I train all my life
to become a porn star. ” For the Facebook user , Obo Panseke , she
stated on her bio, “ I owe no guy a tight pussy . He who can ’ t swim
should drown . ”
In order to verify Abimbola , Danjuma and
Adejumo ’ s claims , Saturday Punch downloaded the applications and was
able to engage some of these ladies.
As seen on her social
platform , the beautiful young lady who seemed to be in her twenties had
publicly advertised herself , as she wrote: “ hookups only , only
serious persons should message ” .
The lady had her beautiful and
titillating pictures splashed all over her page with the aim of
attracting patrons like sugar attracts ants . One of our correspondents
reached out to her pretending to be fully interested and a conversation
ensued .
“ Whatever would go on between us is strictly professional and no strings attached , ” she said .
In the conversation , issues like price, the location and the activities that would take place between them were addressed.
She also suggested a party to our correspondent which she referred to as a special package that would cost more .
She
was charging N 30, 000 for a night which included her transportation ,
but if the correspondent was going to be sorting out her transportation ,
the fee would be N 20, 000 for a night .
Also , another lady who
introduced herself as Blessing met with one of our correspondents at a
pub and during the conversation , she made it known that she had a day
job but she was a commercial sex worker by the side.
“ I actually
work for a spa and often times after massaging my customers , a few of
them ask for happy hour and if the price is right , I oblige them . In
order to augment what I make, I decided to use the mobile app as another
way to meet new patrons .
I prefer the mobile application
because it seems classy , safe and stress - free . Most of my clients
are young men who just want to blow off steam after a long day. The few
ones I like, I actually massage their body before we get down to
business , ” she said.
She noted that she has never been one to
stand by the roadside seeking patrons and that her price range was N 5 ,
000 for ‘ short time ’ while she accepted to spend the night for N 10,
000.
Another young lady who identified herself as Dami told
Saturday Punch during a chat she just completed her Ordinary National
Diploma in a popular Nigerian polytechnic and instead of staying home
idle , she felt she could make money through this venture.
Dami
said , “ I recently completed my OND and while I was staying at home
bored, my friend told me about the application. I have met several guys
on it but I only indulge fine boys . If I go through your picture and I
like you , then I would attend to you but if you are not fine, I would
ignore you , ” she said .
Sharon opened up to Saturday Punch that
she used to be a regular face at Allen Avenue till a friend introduced
her to the mobile application and ever since , she never returned to
Allen.
She explained that while she was still a roadside
commercial sex worker , she was almost kidnapped and on several
occasions, she had been humiliated and ridiculed by customers who
refused to pay after she had ‘ serviced ’ them . But everything is now
history thanks to the various mobile applications she is registered to .
The
young lady further said that the mobile application had eliminated the
stress and risks of hanging by the roadside . “ I used to stand by the
roadside around Allen and GRA Ikeja but for about two years that I did
that , it was God that saved me . There was a time I was almost
kidnapped but I jumped out of a moving vehicle to save myself . I was in
the hospital for weeks and I had to get a love-vendor to protect me .
He was collecting half of what I made which was ridiculous to me .
“
There were also times that I would get insulted and humiliated by a
customer who would not want to pay me after he had been serviced but all
that is history now as I am ‘ online’ . Also , the mobile application I
use connects me to men within my vicinity , so it makes the work easier
. My price actually depends on the negotiation skills of the potential
patron, ” she said.
Sharon further revealed that aside physical
sex , she offered virtual sex to clients who did not have enough money
for physical sex. “There are some men who do not have enough money but
they want to relieve some stress so I engage in virtual sex with them .
After negotiation and I have received a credit alert , I do a video call
with them; we get Unclad and masturbate till they are relieved . The
ones that are too shy just ask for my nude pictures and I oblige them , ”
she said .
Speaking on the trend, a sociologist , Monday
Ashibogwu , stated that the trend simply means that the commercial sex
workers are moving with the times. “As sociologists, it is not in our
place to condemn or commend such issues but we can comment about it .
Prostitution is the oldest profession in the world and it also follows
consumption. It is a determinant of consumption pattern .
When
you do a business , you look for where your customers are and you
identify them . If you take this sense of direction , you would
understand that today , businesses are moving online. If commercial sex
workers decide to stop staying on the road and go on the internet to
attract patrons , they are not out of order.
It just shows that
like every other business minded persons, they are moving with times.
They know where to find their customers because for them, it is a
business . For those who want to justify it as a vice , it is up to them
but the trend just shows that they are moving with times, ” Ashibogwu .
added.
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