Found this eye opening report published by PUNCH newspaper…enjoy below:
The
time was 7pm, penultimate Saturday. The venue was a hotel on Abaranje
Road in Ikotun, a suburb in Lagos State. He adorned black denims on a
black T-shirt. He said his name was Kenny, of course, he admitted it
wasn’t his real name.
He sauntered into the
hotel as if his main aim was to have a couple of drinks and maybe
complement it with a plate of sizzling pepper soup.
But
Kenny didn’t just come to only have a drink, Kenny is first of all, a
male commercial sex worker and was looking for a customer that he would
‘service’ in order to make a
quick
cash for the weekend. One of our correspondents got to know Kenny
through a regular customer, who had been patronising the motel bar for a
long time and who once had a close contact with him.
Being
a regular face in the bar as the place seemed to be his office at
night, his presence was certain, and indeed, he came, our correspondent
waited for him.
It is no news that bars and
drinking joints are the right spots for many on weekends, and being at
the centre of a busy road, this hotel seemed like a right place for
many. The music blaring from the speakers was good and loud enough to
entertain even those who were not within the premises.
With
the perimeter fencing well-illuminated, passers-by could as well be
tempted to stop by and have a drink. But for Kenny, he came on purpose.
On hand were some guys in crested vests with ‘security’ boldly printed
on them to ensure law and order in the premises.
Not
even the crowd and almost non-availability of chairs could dissuade
people as some, including our correspondent, had to lean on a car for
some time before he could locate a seat.
“This
is the way it is on weekends. Because a number of those who come here on
weekends are in the working class, you don’t get to see them on week
days, so, on weekends, the house is always full. Even at certain times,
you may not have a place to sit, and the premises, including the car
park, would be so crowded, yet, it’s safe,” Seun, who claimed to be a
regular customer, told Saturday Punch.
But the
loud music would not really be the only thing one would instantly
notice, skimpily and scantily dressed ladies prancing from one end of
the motel to the other would instantly hit your eyes as soon as you sit,
stand or hang out anywhere near the motel.
Of
course, one wouldn’t need a soothsayer to know that the ladies are
commercial sex workers, looking for customers for the night. Indeed,
just as they are on the lookout for patrons, their male counterparts are
not left behind.
Like Kenny, sitting at
different tables, were young guys chatting, smoking and drinking and
talking in loud voices. To the innocent eyes, they are just young men
having a good time. But then, only a few would know that some of them
are also commercial sex workers. They are available for women who are
ready to have them in exchange for some cash.
Since
the male sex workers may not readily own up or be identified as being
available for ‘service’, one of our correspondents approached a female
sex worker as if he needed a ‘quickie’ or ‘short rest’ so that in the
middle of their chat, she could help in identifying a guy to service his
‘madam.’
“Babe, how far now,” our
correspondent asked. “I dey o, wetin dey happen?” she responded. Our
correspondent introduced himself as ‘John’ while she gave her name as
‘Debbie’ who looked to be in her mid 20s.
Our
correspondent requested for a short service but that before proceeding
to the room or the car, she would have to help in arranging a “strong
guy” for his madam who parked outside the hotel.
“I
brought my madam here so I could ‘arrange’ a guy for her, but since I
wouldn’t want to idle away while they would be having a good time, we
can quickly do a ‘short rest’ before they would finish theirs. So you go
help me arrange man for am. I mean guy wey strong well well o,” our
correspondent had asked Debbie.
“That one na
small thing now, guys dey. Make we talk our own first. It depends on
what you want or what she wants; maybe tall or short, fair or dark, they
are all here and they are all very strong too. In fact, I have some
that I can’t give your madam because they can ‘wound’ her. I hope say
your madam go fit pay o and she go get body hold am,” Debbie responded
swiftly.
She agreed to take N1,500 for the
‘short time’ service, with an agreement that our correspondent would pay
for a room in the motel at the rate of N700.
“For
short rest, a room is N700 but if it is till day break, it’s N4,000,
but if you give me the money, they can take N500 from me instead of the
N700 because I’m a regular customer. I just ‘rested’ a guy now, so they
know me very well, and there are many rooms we can choose from,” she
explained.
When the deal was sealed, she handed
her drink to our correspondent and dashed into the crowd to look for
one of the male sex workers.
A
few minutes later, Debbie returned with five guys, averagely in their
mid and late 20s. On arrival, they introduced themselves, which sounded
like aliases. Among them was Water, perceived to be a strong and
qualified guy for the job. Others gave their names as TK, Segun, Uche
and Charles, all looking set for work as they gesticulated occasionally.
While thinking of which of them to choose, they all promised to ‘deliver’ more than expected.
On
a closer look, our correspondent had sighted one of them in the bar,
smoking, drinking and dancing, all at once, but nothing would have given
him away as a sex worker. Though he appeared like a ‘bad guy’, sagging
his jean trousers as if his boxers had to be a part of the party.
After
taking turns to explain how much they could perform, Saturday Punch
learnt that the average amount the guys collect from any woman who needs
their services for a short time is N5,000. It could be more than one
round, but not for too long.
“If it is till
daybreak, we charge at least N8,000, and the woman would also pay for
the room and a room costs N4,000 per night in this place unless she
doesn’t want to use the hotel. We can go for as many rounds as she
wants,” Water told Saturday Punch.
With an
assurance that money wouldn’t be a problem as long as he could deliver
and satisfy the madam, Water boasted that he had been doing it and
‘servicing’ big women for a long time and that he was very popular in
the bar such that those who had been patronising the hotel knew him for
his strength.
“It’s been a while
I started doing this thing, even before I came here. And the truth is
that the more you do, the better skilled you become. So chairman, relax,
madam go enjoy my company. In fact, because she is a new customer, I
can give her discount and she should just give me whatever she has
afterwards. I’m sure if she enjoys my service, she would come back
looking for me.
“Ask them, all of them know me,
and they know that I don’t disappoint. If she says we should go now,
I’m ready, no stopping till mama calls,” he assured.
When
our correspondent selected Water to meet the madam, who had been
waiting outside in her car, his face beamed with smiles. He teased his
colleagues, saying he had caught another big fish.
He
almost led the way when it was time to go, basking in some euphoria. It
was while walking to the car that he told our correspondent that he had
been cash-strapped for some time. He said he would give his best so
that he would be rewarded handsomely.
“Some of
the big women I have ‘serviced’ before still call me till date, and once
you do them well (sic), they won’t want to lose you. They can even call
you to meet them anywhere and they would pay,” he added.
On
getting to the car where one of our correspondents pretends to be the
‘madam,’ Water expressed a little reservation before going into the car
alone with someone he had never met before, but with assurance that
nothing would happen to him, he jumped in.
But
then again, once inside the car where ‘madam’ was waiting to ‘bargain’
with Water, the young man’s confidence waned a little as he kept looking
from one corner of the car to the other, apparently looking for what
would give away the correspondent as not being real.
Asked
why he looked tensed, Water said, “Sorry ma, it is not as if I am not
used to this. But then again, I have to be careful. You know that this
is not common. We are aware that women come here and ‘take’ our
‘destinies’ once we sleep with them. The money that we ought to make
would be going to them.”
But ‘madam’ quickly
assured him that his fears weren’t necessary by telling him, “I am not
looking for a boyfriend. The guys I had dealt with stole my money and
broke my heart even when I gave them love. I just want somebody I can
have sex with and that is just that. I don’t want my heart to be
involved at all.”
Satisfied with the explanation, Water quickly boasted about his sexual prowess.
“Ah! Madam! I will do you well. In fact, if I ‘handle’ you, I am not
sure you would want to let me go. Just try me and you would find out
that you have been dealing with the wrong boys.”
And of course, he didn’t waste time to tell ‘madam’ that he would charge N15, 000 for the night for his ‘services.’
“Madam,
if na TDB (Till day break), na N15k I go take o, I no charge you. No be
so we dey even collect. E get some people wey dey charge N20k. Last
week, na N25k one woman pay me. I just like you as you set, na why I wan
collect N15k.”
The bargaining eventually ended
at N7, 000 for the night but Water insisted that he wouldn’t be the
person that would pay for the room.
“A room in
this hotel is N4, 000. You will be the one to pay for it and my own
money will be N7, 000. Na the last price be that.”
Apart from the money ‘madam’ was willing to pay, the young man had some other ‘conditions’ attached to his services.
“Madam,
if you no wan make I use condom, that one will cost you extra. The N7k
is with condom o. Without condom dey sweet pass and na why we dey charge
extra N2, 000 for that.
“Madam, you go first
‘ginger’ me well. Then we go come play. Na you go ‘ginger’ me before we
play, otherwise my body no go fit stand.”
When our correspondent assured him that he would be ‘gingered,’ Water was all eager to set the ball rolling.
But our correspondent told him he would have to wait for her the following day, that she had just come into town.
Before
they departed, ‘madam’ asked Water if he had other people who could
‘service’ her friends and he replied in the affirmative.
“We
plenty nah. Ha! Should I call somebody for you now? Is your friend on
her way? This is what we do. We are ‘hustlers’. Na so we dey make our
money, we no be thieves and we are not criminals,” he said.
When
asked if he would agree to a monthly or weekly allowance, Water agreed
but not without saying, “Madam, the first night, we must do it here o. I
am still not sure of you. So we have to use this motel first. Then, if
you want me to come to your hotel later, I would agree. That one na
small thing.”
While Water and ‘madam’ engaged
in serious bargaining, Debbie appeared, seemingly impatient to have our
correspondent, her ‘early customer’ all to herself. With a little tip,
she agreed to stay for some time until the conversation between Water
and the ‘madam’ was over.
“That guy is good if
your madam can pay. I have slept with him before and he almost spoilt my
tool of business. He took me home for ‘daybreak’ and I could barely
walk the following morning. My legs were weak and I could barely walk
home, and he still appeared very strong after all he did through the
night. Even though he paid me N6,000 for the service, I can’t sleep with
him again,” Debbie narrated.
Debbie assured
our correspondent that the chosen guy was a very strong ‘sex machine.’
She explained that the guys who do such are not always greedy about the
money they want to collect because she had arranged guys for some women
earlier, including the one she did for a woman the previous day.
“The
woman called me this morning to appreciate me for giving her a good
guy. She told me the guy was very good and capable,” she added.
When
asked whether there were enough men that could satisfy as many women
that might come in a day, she hissed in amazement, saying they were more
than imagined.
“Some of those guys that you
see hanging around are available for service, whether for short time or
TDB but you won’t know they do such, you know how our society be now.
Unlike our own, so they can’t really do much to present themselves as
available. Besides, some women are too shy to come here but since here
is safe and there is accommodation for just N700, they feel safe to do
it here,” she said.
After a little familiarity,
she confided in our correspondent that she had a beauty salon but that
since business had been bad, she went into commercial sex to augment her
income, more so because it doesn’t affect her work in the afternoon.
“But if any of my customers calls me during the day, I will oblige him
as long as he’s ready to pay,” she added.
While
our correspondent promised to get back to Water the following day, he
gladly gave out his number as he pocketed the N1,000 gift given to him
to buy himself a drink. He however added that he would be expecting a
call, beaming with smiles as he walked away.
While
the conversation lasted, some of the other guys had been moving up and
down around the car, hoping the ‘madam’ would need them as well. And, on
the other hand, Debbie had stormed out of the discussion with our
correspondent out of impatience, complaining that she was losing money
as she stood outside chatting, but not without a cash gift as well.