A young, robust, beautiful-looking commercial sex worker in Awka, Philomena John (real name withheld), has appealed to public-spirited Nigerians to help her get a decent job to enable her quit her current ignoble trade.
The 24-year-old, who hails from Abia, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Sunday.
John described prostitution as a “dehumanising, indecent, odd job”.
She said: “I did not join prostitution because it is what I planned for in my life.
“It was the circumstances of life that turned me into a prostitute.
“After my father lost his job as a professional driver, it became difficult for my mother alone to cope with fending for us.
“I joined prostitution to help my parents raise my other four siblings.
“Honestly, I feel so sad doing this job, if only I can get help, I will quit,” she said, sobbing.
John further described prostitution as “a nightmare, associated with all kinds of life-threatening risks and health hazards”.
Accordding to her, on many occasions I have come down with several sicknesses.
“There was a day I almost died.
I pray that one day God will help me through somebody to leave the profession.
“Do you know that as I speak with you now, my parents do not know what I do to help them?
“For the past eight months I joined prostitution, I have had to lie to them,” she said.
John, who trained in a catering school in Lagos, said, “there is no job, nobody to assist me and, to make things worse, no money to kick start my catering business”.
Breaking down in tears half way into the interview, she said: “For how long will I have sex with all kinds of men against my wish.
“Oga journalist, can you hear that? Somebody is knocking on my door,” she said, pointing to her door.
“It is because I am beautiful and younger than these other women, that is the reason I have many clients,” she whispered to NAN reporter in her room.
She said that “short-time” (spending one hour with a client) costs between N10,000 and N15,000, while “all night” goes for N30,000 and above.
The hotel manager, who pleaded anonymity, said that male clients pay for rooms, accordding to their grades.
He said that short-time of one hour in the facility goes for N2,500, adding that to exceed one hour usually attracts N4,000.
He said that some other short-time rooms go for N2,000 per hour, “when you exceed one hour, you pay N3,000”.
He said that an all-night affair attracts from N2,000 to N5,000 depending on the grade of the room and the time of checking-in.
He described the business as lucrative, notwithstanding the challenges and hazards. (NAN)