As naira scarcity bites harder, sex workers in Kogi State have introduced POS as a new method of transaction in order not to be defrauded by customers.
The sex workers said it was aimed at mitigating against fake bank transfers by customers.
Since the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) announced February 10, 2023, as the deadline for the swap of old naira notes to new naira notes, many Nigerians have found it hard to do transactions, even though they have money in their bank accounts.
Just as many people in the country, including residents of Kogi State are obeying President Muhammadu Buhari’s pronouncement on the usage of new naira notes, business owners, including sex workers (prostitutes) have now opted to collect transfer or use POS machines to sustain their businesses in Kogi.
In Lokoja, some of the popular hot spots where prostitutes gather between 7:30 PM in the evening to do their business are Nigeria Television Authority, (NTA), roundabout, Jackins, Nigeria Union of Journalists, (NUJ) road and 16 Hours drinking spot.
Other prominent spots where sex workers gather in Lokoja include Lounge 1, in Phase one Lokoja, Federal Medical Center, (FMC), road, Ganaja Junction by flyover, Felele axis, and many more.
In these flash points, the sex hawkers wait for their customers to patronise them, with both parties agreeing on an amount before sex. It was gathered that, in these areas, some of the sex hawkers who do not have a specific hotel, or their customers can’t afford one, decide to have quick sex outside in a dark place.
In a chat with one of the sex workers in Jackins, identified as Zarah, (not real name) she explained that she has been in the business for more than one year. According to her, she lost her parents and does not have anyone who will cater for her needs, hence she decided to go into prostitution business.
When asked how she is sustaining her trade with the naira scarcity quagmires, Zarah responded, “it is not easy at all. It is difficult to buy food or even do anything because of this naira scarcity. We just have to come here every day to try our luck so that we can get something to eat on a daily basis.
“If I don’t sell my body, how will I get food or pay my bills? I am an orphan who has nobody to run to. Any person I meet, especially men, they will want to have my body. So I had no choice than to go into this. For now, if I can’t get physical cash, my customer will transfer. If I see an alert, then we go into business”.
Precious, a single mother of two who has been in the sex business for over seven years, said using a POS machine will guarantee her money in her account. According to her, it reduces the incident of fake alerts and ensures that she has money in her account to pay her bills at the end of the day.
“Some of us in this business have decided to get our own POS machines to avoid fake transfers. If you observe, there is scarcity of naira notes in the country. Although our daily customers have dropped, we decided to start collecting transfers. But this is not favouring us.
“That is why we carry POS. If we agree on a fixed price, you will insert your ATM on our POS machine. When the transaction is successful, then we can go and have sex,” Precious added.
