This is not a sad tale from a Nollywood movie.

In 2010, 19 year old Elizabeth Ehis (not real name), had the world at her feet. She was writing her West African Secondary School Certificate Examinations, WASSCE, hoping to fulfill her life-long dream of becoming an accountant. However, life took a different
turn when she lost her father to the cold hands of death before finishing her exams.

In spite of this, Elizabeth, the first of four children, forged ahead and gained admission into the University of Benin in 2012. Things were tough for her widowed mother. But sending Elizabeth to the university was top priority for her. Her mother would never have guessed that disastrous blend of harsh conditions, bad company and wrong choices would lead Elizabeth into prostitution.

Her mother would not know that Elizabeth told our reporters her story from a brothel. Her bad company came in the person of a friend she calls Stephanie. She said: “I met Stephanie during our Matriculation ceremony in the school, we were and still are in the same department. But we did not really become close until we met at the party where we got talking and exchanged contacts. At first, I thought she was into lesbianism because of the way she was asking me about myself.

Later she told me that, I did not deserve the kind of poor life style I was living in school and that I needed to upgrade myself.
She introduced me to some friends who would call me when there was a party to attend. At one of the parties we attended, they introduced me to some ‘big’ men.

At first I did not understand what was happening, until it was obvious that each girl had been paired up to have sex with an
old man. I was very reluctant about that and I angrily left the party.

The next day in school, she was so angry with me and asked me why I behaved like that. After much convictions and persuasions, I succumbed to what she asked for.
My first night was with a man who had just come from Malaysia and after a long night of sex, he gave me N10, 000. Though I was happy because, I was not used to getting that kind of money at once, I was angry because, the guy used me very rough in the night.

He had so much energy and he never allowed me to sleep. He took me on more than five times and I was very weak.” she narrated. After that first night, she never turned back from the
trade. “I became used to the whole thing, and I was collecting more than N5, 000 per night. I had to give a cut to the person who brought me deals, and send some money back home.”

She says that if she finds a better source of income, she will desist from the trade.
But this is her life for now.

Culled: Vanguard

Effects of bad company .




Poverty is a disease.

RUNS GAL are so rampant on the street, many of whom are not well brought up.