Nigerian Prostitutes Lament Over Ebola Virus

Following the outbreak of the Ebola virus in Nigeria, commercial sex workers have cried out over low patronage since the deadly disease hit the country.

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According to Daily Sun reports, prostitutes who ply their trade in Ado Ekiti, capital of Ekiti State, western Nigeria, are currently angry because the Ebola virus is spoiling business for them.

It would be recalled that the dreaded disease came into the country through a Liberian, Patrick Sawyer, who has since died in a Lagos hospital.

Though two more persons, a Nigerian nurse, who treated the Liberian, and an official of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), have also died after being infected by Sawyer.

Investigation conducted at different brothels in Ekiti state revealed that commercial sex workers now chase away prospective customer that reveal he is from Lagos.

It was also gathered that those that patronise the sex workers in Ekiti now ask about the recent movement of any of the prostitutes before choosing who to do business with. This is to find out and avoid those who might have gone to Lagos.

A young lady, who gave her name as Lovie Baby, while speaking with newsmen in a brothel in Ojumose area of Ado Ekiti, stated that since the Ebola outbreak in Lagos, many of her colleagues, including herself, now run away from customers from Lagos.

“Bros, dis life no too sweet o, but no one wants to die. Nowadays, if any man comes to meet me and says he is from Lagos, I will run o! Because I don’t want to get that Ebola virus o!,” the Akwa Ibom State born prostitute said.

Another sex worker in a brothel at Okeyinmi area of Ado Ekiti, informed that she was a student of a tertiary institution in Kano where she used to live with her parents before she came to Ekiti to do some ‘runs’ – a term for part-time prostitution.

Chichi added that her friends and sisters, who she claimed have been in the prostitution business longer than herself, have warned her vehemently to beware of men from Lagos as she could contract the Ebola virus from them.

“Although I know that men from Lagos pay good money for sex, my people here have warned me not to let them touch me, let alone ‘do business’ with me.

“I don’t want to die now, so I am not attending to any Lagos man now. I prefer the local people. When Ebola is no more, then we can start thinking of playing with men from Lagos,” Chichi said.

Another commercial sex worker, who wouldn’t have anything to do with any man from Lagos is Joy. The young lady, who claims she is from Benin, Edo State capital, operates from a guest house along Iworoko Road, Ado-Ekiti.

According to Joy, she had intended to leave Ekiti for Lagos in search of greener pastures in her line of business, but because of the outbreak of Ebola virus in Lagos, she said she has already changed her mind.

“You see, I wanted to leave this place for Lagos but this Ebola problem is causing me to have a change of mind.”

However, not all the sex workers are bothered about the Ebola virus disease. Although, they get scared at the mere mention of Ebola, they wish and pray that they would never be visited by the disease.

“I don’t know about that kind of a thing and I believe it will not happen to me. But my business goes on with any man that can pay me well,” Chinwe, a sex worker said.

The Ebola virus have killed almost 1000 people in West Africa since February 2014, this is according to statistics released by the World Health Organisation, WHO.

Nigerians have been advised to Wash their hands and use sanitisers regularly to prevent contracting the disease which can be contracted via urine, blood, sex and other bodily fluid of someone that has already contracted the disease and not treated.

But for most commercial sex workers in Ekiti, there focus it to avoid clients from Lagos.
“How do you determine a man that is suffering from Ebola? My brother, it’s better to keep away from any man you know is from Lagos, at least, for now,” Joy said.