By Phil Okose
Onitsha
Commercial sex workers in Onitsha, Anambra state, have called on the Anambra state government to provide alternative brothels for them following the destruction of their make-shift structures along some strategic points at Upper Iweke, Marine, Ochanja round-about axis, among others.
Reacting to the demolition, one of them who simply identified herself as Ekator, from Cross River state said, “we no longer have customers, the governor has closed our market by demolishing the shanties we use in the night to help men who are pressed.
“Most of these men cannot afford the exorbitant hotel bills but with the shanties they enjoy themselves and leave,” she revealed.
“Here we collect like N500, N1000 or above, depending on caliber of customer. If they are travellers their case is not the money but to satisfy them immediately and they go their way.
“It is bad market here in Uper Iweka since the demolition. The security men, like police, that sometimes come and patronise us, don’t even come again because there are no make-shift structures to stay.
“We help them enjoy the money they extort from innocent people but now you hardly see them and if they pass we just wave hands.
“Let Obiano provide us with alternative places to make money because we cannot steal. We are too mature to steal and some of us have been in this business for 15 years and above.
“We have our families to feed and pay for their school fees. Where I am living now from where I came to this Upper Iweka every night I pay house rent,” she disclosed.
Also, at Ochanja round-about axis a teenager who spoke to Orient Weekend said, “I don’t want you to know my name because nobody feeds me.
You people have demolished our structures and you want to know how I feel about it. Well, since you want to know I feel bad. Where will I stay with my customer and have sex, may be in your room.
“A beg, go tell your governor that we are jobless and that he should help us by providing alternative brothel for us.
“It is from the proceed I get that I pay my school fee at one of the tertiary institutions in Awka. I voted for the governor but he has voted me out by demolishing the structures. Tell him am not happy with him and those he sent that did the bad work.”
At the Marine, a woman told Orient Weekend that, “nothing is happening here again.”
“Fishermen who sometimes give us fish, police, warders and others have disappeared because there is no structure again to stay and make merry.
“This regime is the worst for us, bad market every day, nobody is asking us about our wares, tufiakwa,” she exclaimed https://orientdailynews.com.ng/cover-story/sex-workers-demand-alternative-brothels/ Lalasticlala seun mynd44 |
