Kemi Olatunde
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Sex enhancement products of any kind; pills, injections, liquid suspense and even concoction liquids or powders now sell like hot cakes in Nigeria because they are in a very high demand by men.
Drug producing companies; both traditional and orthodox ones, are capitalizing on this development to churn out myriads of sex enhancement products in a bid to meet the high demand from adventurous men who are eager to spend money on these products to up their games.
To further entice men into buying these products, the companies send out an “army” of young and beautiful ladies to market their products.
Therefore, it is not so uncommon to see these product marketers that are mostly females in every community striving to make sales, including those who hawk health products.
From Lagos to Abuja, down to Port Harcourt, among several other communities in Nigeria, these ladies are found in every nook and cranny making crisp sales as they entice men with their carefully chosen marketing strategies into buying their products.
Marketers who are mostly young girls with bright future have been caught in the web of “covert prostitution” masked in marketing sex enhancement drugs.
Investigation by The Hope reveals that young girls, mostly between the ages of 14 and 20, are targeted to be perfect fits for the job by companies of these products. This is due to the fact that they still have young and enticing body shapes that are inviting to supposed men who most times demand to test the efficacy of the products on the marketers.
A 22-year-old Tosin Adeola (not real name) became a marketer of these sexual enhancement products a few years ago in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after her father chased her out alongside her mother because she was impregnated in JSS 3 while in Lagos State. She embraced her new path, and before she knew it, it paid off as she was able to make ends meet even without a secondary school certificate.
In a chat with The Hope, she explained that she initially planned to do the job for a short time when she secured it in Lagos State, but became satisfied with it when she discovered that it was profitable, despite the challenges involved.
According to her, she sold herbal products, including malaria and typhoid drugs, cough sweet and sex enhancement pills popularly called “man power” by marketers among others.
She explained that she preferred to go out mostly with the sex enhancement pills due to high demand by men who patronize the product with underlying soliciting for sex.
“I got pregnant from my first sex with my boyfriend while in JSS 3 in Lagos State. My father, a soldier, became disappointed and chased me out of the house with my mother. I gave birth to twins, after which I dropped them with my mother in order to find a way to fend for myself. I was introduced to the job by a friend and we both did it for a while before I opted to leave Lagos, due to shame as my mates then used to make jest of me.
“The company decided to take me to Port Harcourt. Life became better for me there as I was able to make more sales. I went out mostly with the man power and few other drugs but men preferred to sleep with me to test the effectiveness of the pill. Although it didn’t go down well with me at the initial stage, I thought it was what I had to do to care for my children.”
Another marketer of the product, Bisola Daudu, who resides in Akure but had worked in other parts of Nigeria said that marketing companies lure female marketers of sexual enhancement products into prostitution through their criteria for payment.
“Most companies pay based on commission only if we meet our targets. It is not easy to meet up with it and the management makes female marketers go to any length to sell the wares in the store. At times, they tell you that there is no big deal if you use your body to sell the goods. It’s that bad.”
Corroborating the above point, Adeola Adegoke, another marketer, narrated her experience, noting that such type of marketing is not meant for a well cultured lady in order not to lose one’s virtues.
She said; “Before I was mobilized for National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), I ventured into marketing over a decade ago as it was the easiest job to get then. I lived in Akure but I was taken to Rivers State by the company and was introduced to the manager there. She was a bit over 30 years and was living good.
“She welcomed me and assured me of greener pastures there only if I danced to the tune of the business. The next day, she took me to places I was expected to market my products, including sex enhancement pills. We were together all through the day as she showed me the way to go about it.
“The next day, I began my journey. Many of them made sexual overtures to me. Some were even brazen in their approach but I didn’t allow any man to sleep with me. Due to this, I did not really make sales but was satisfied with the little I made.
“I decided to quit it the day one of my colleagues came back home weak and could barely walk straight. She was rushed to the hospital for medical attention only to discover that she was roughly handled during a sex marathon by one of her customers. The next day, I left Rivers State for my state.
“I alongside two other people were taken to Rivers State with a promise of heaven on earth which made us jump at the offer but life there could best be described as the survival of the fittest, as we were starved all through the week except on Sundays when we were served a meal prepared by the manager.
“There was a lady who was brought from Osogbo. We left the town together due to the unfavourable working conditions we were confronted with. We came down to Akure on our own without anyone financing our trip because we didn’t make much money for the company.”
Mayowa Adeleke was another one time marketer who told The Hope that she survived on the job through sex.
“Marketing most times is like venturing into prostitution. As I became rooted in the job, I lost my guard and began to flow with the train because I was enticed with the large sums of money some girls brought home after the day’s business.
“Have you ever imagined being in a strange land without anyone to cater for you and the one who is expected to give you the necessary protection gives you certain conditions which are not convenient but must be met? We were given targets on daily basis and one would have to go through hell to meet those target but the easiest way was to dance to the tune of men who wish to sleep with you with the product bought from you, that is the sex enhancement pill.”
Taye Adeleke, a one time marketer along the popular Oba Adesida road in Akure, said that most young girls who market these products opt for the job to make ends meet without prior understanding of what it entails.
According to her, she joined the train of marketers at the age of 15 after her secondary school education, in order to save for her tertiary education.
Her words; “After I left secondary school,I had the urge of venturing into something that would give me money and that was how I found my way into marketing. I saw the poster and I applied, after which I was picked.
“I was naive and never knew what awaited me, as I had sex enhancement pills as part of the products I hawked on daily basis. To be candid, men patronize these products. Infact, they can give extra pay when it comes to it, but on our part there is a price to pay if you must succeed on the job; agree to sleep with them.
“It’s so sad that I gave out my virginity in order to make money. The managers of these companies care less about the extent you go to have the products sold. They are only after their money.”
A 42 year old Toyosi Ojo who used to be a marketer some years back said that she quit the job when she observed indecency among other ladies who lived with her.
“The company that employed me then gave accommodation to staff and we were separated based on gender. I spent few weeks with them before I left. The ladies went wild. They brought men to the house on our free days with no one to caution them. There was a day I got home and met a lady having a whitish discharge gushing out of her private part as if she was experiencing a heavy flow of her monthly period. When I asked her what the problem was, she responded by informing me that a man slept with her, having used the man power he bought from her. I was shocked and decided to quit before I encountered such experience.”
Speaking with The Hope, a medical practitioner, Anthony Adeyemi, said that most of the female marketers are exposed to sexually transmitted diseases when they have unprotected sex with men which, according to him, if not treated may jeopardize their future.
He urged them to look for other jobs if they are being forced into prostitution by their employers in order to avoid a bleak future.
According to research, Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) spread as a result of unprotected sexual activity.
Certain STIs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, can cause unusual penile and vaginal discharge.
