By Ishaya Ibrahim
In the best of time, a night on Allen Avenue, Lagos, is always boisterous – the deeper it is, the noisier it gets.
On Allen, sex workers are never scarce, they are never missed. They are at various points and junctions on the road. By their skimpy dresses, they are easily recognised. They are usually on the road, flagging down prospective clients, showing off their curves and cleavages. It’s a booming sex industry that never sleeps. And it fuels other trades – alcohol and beverages, music, fast food, transportation and hotel accommodation.
However, with the coronavirus ravaging many parts of the World, commercial sex workers are also bearing the brunt. This sex commodity is no longer a booming business. It is being avoided by patrons. And it is also taking a toll on the revenue of sex workers.
The global pandemic has dampened the urge for sex. On March 18, Nigeria announced five new cases of the Coronavirus in the country, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to eight. The government has been discouraging public gathering to prevent person-to-person infection. Social distancing is now prescribed. Although no pronouncement has been made on sex business industry as a result of the outbreak, sex workers are now fewer on Allen and other Red Light Districts of Lagos State, these days. What perhaps, accounts for their dwindling fortunes is that so far, the males that had been taken in for isolation on suspicion of the virus, fall into the category of well-heeled clients that patronise them. Not that any of the index cases had been associated with sex workers, anyway.
The lull in the activities, has affected other ancillary businesses. A walk from Toyin Roundabout to Allen Junction would normally take 16 minutes or thereabout. At about 9pm, on a normal day, one could count at least 30 ladies struggling for the attention of a perspective client. At the Toyn Roundabout, the major hub of the trade, the cluster of ladies advertising sex is overwhelming – almost 100.
A research by Nairametrics, a finance oriented news website estimates that sex workers on Allen Avenue make as much as N30,000 per night by charging each client a minimum of N10,000. That means a sex worker is likely to have three clients before the close of business every night. That translates to millions of Naira exchanging hand for sex on Allen alone every day. But Coronavirus has slowed down that revenue source. Some of the girls who spoke to our correspondent, lamented the impact of the virus on their trade. “Even Ebola time no reach like this oh. That time, at least, de see small, small customers. Now, we no de see anything. People no de even go drink again. They no de come out in the night again. Everybody de fear now. This corona don show us wahala”, Blessing, who claimed to be a student, told our reporter, at her Toyin Roundabout spot. Clara, who operates around Awosika Bus Stop, Opebi, echoed similar regrets. At the Bar Beach, Victoria Island side of the state, the hawkers that used to line the road, had thinned out considerably, last Wednesday. The same story of low patronage resonated at Okokomaiko end of the state.
At FESTAC side, a trip around First Avenue that used to be the hub for sex workers, indicated that only few manage to come out these days. At the popular Jazz Temple near Alakija Bus Stop, Satellite Town, Precious, who claimed to have hailed from one of the South – South states, however added a funny dimension to what they are experiencing, now. In her words, “we are praying that this corona thing ends soonest. We have asked our members to go into fasting and prayers. We no go allow hunger kill us. Our customers must return”. Our reporter could not understand how the practitioners could be fasting and praying while indulging in commercial sex activities.
Hoteliers may also be counting their losses as a result of the Coronavirus outbreak. Although this reporter could not get reliable data on how it has affected them, it is common knowledge that they usually make brisk businesses at the night hour every day. That also, may be suffering until the Coronavirus pandemic is halted.
