By Kemi Olatunde

Along with their myriad packages of sex enhancement drugs, among other products, they walk from door to door. They visit homes, offices, and other places where people, especially men, are visible. They are mostly young ladies wearing customized shirts carrying their company’s name on top of their slim-fitted skirts or trousers.

They strive to make sales as they hawk and advertise the sex enhancement products to would-be customers.

 From Lagos to Abuja, down to Port Harcourt, among several other cities and towns in Nigeria, they are found in every nook and cranny, trying to entice men into buying their products. Enticement is an important tool in trade for these ladies so that they can  meet their targets and it has been impressed upon them by their trainers and employers.

Many marketers who are mostly young ladies with bright future are caught in the web of marketing sex enhancement drugs due to men’s preference for sexual pleasure.

Investigation by The Hope reveals that young girls mostly between the ages of 18 and 25 are preferred as the perfect fit for the job by companies of these products. This is because they still have all the body shapes intact and are inviting to supposed men who, most times, demand to test the efficacy of the sex products on the marketers.

Tales of sexual exploitation and poor choices

 A 22-year-old Omolola Adewole (not real name) became a marketer a few years ago in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after her father chased her out alongside her mother because she was pregnant in JSS 3 in Lagos State. She embraced her new path and, before she knew it, it paid off as she could make ends meet even without a secondary school certificate.

In a chat with The Hope, she explained that she initially planned to take the offer for only a short time when she secured the job in Lagos State, but became satisfied with it when she discovered that it was profitable, despite the challenges involved.

According to her, she sells herbal products, including malaria and typhoid drugs, cough sweets, and sex enhancement pills popularly called “manpower” by marketers, among others.

She explained that she prefers to go out mostly with sex enhancement pills due to the  high demand by men who mostly prefer to test the drugs on them (female marketers) before purchase.

“I got pregnant from my first sexual encounter 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 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 manpower and a few other drugs but men preferred  to sleep with me to test the effect 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, Bisola Daudu, who resides in Akure but has at a point worked in other parts of Nigeria, said that owners of marketing companies lure female marketers into prostitution through their criteria for payment.

“Most companies pay based on commission. It is not easy to meet up with it and the management makes female marketers go to any length to have the wares off 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 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 old and was living well.

“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 but ensured that no man slept with me. I didn’t make sales but was satisfied with the little I made. I decided to quit the day one of my colleagues came back home in a bad state. She was rushed to the hospital for medical attention because she was roughly handled during sex. The next day, I left Rivers State for my state.

“I, alongside two other people, was  taken to Rivers State with a promise of heaven on earth, which made us jump at the offer.  However,  life there could best be described as hell as we were starved all through the week except on Sunday when we took a meal prepared by the manager. We left the town 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.” She narrated.

Mayowa Adeleke was another one-time marketer who told The Hope that she survived the job through sex.

“Marketing most times is like venturing into prostitution. I was a staunch Christian before then but as I became rooted in the job, I lest loose  my guard and began to flow with the train as I was enticed with the large sum of money some girls used to return with after the day’s business.

“Have you ever imagined being in a strange land without anyone to cater  for you and the one expected to give you the necessary protection gives you certain conditions which aren’t convenient but must be met? We would given targets on a daily basis and one will have to go through hell to meet those targetsit but the easiest way was to dance to the tune of men who wished  to sleep with  us using  the product bought from us, that is, the sex enhancement pill,” she lamented.

Ignorance, poverty; powerful lure for many gullible ladies

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 engage themselves without a 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 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 daily. To be candid, many men patronize these products and they can give extra pay, but on your 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 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  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 a 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. It was the semen of a man who slept with her, having  used the manpower she bought from her. I was shocked and decided to quit before I encountered such an experience.”

Health experts caution on hazards involved in indiscriminate sex

A medical practitioner, Joel Apata, working with a private medical laboratory in Akure explained that most of the female marketers are exposed to sexually transmitted diseases when they have unprotected sex with men which may jeopardize their future if not treated.

“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. Chlamydia is one of the most common STIs. People affected tend to be between 15 and 24 years,” he warned.

He added that vaginal discharge may appear yellow and that other chlamydia symptoms in females include: rectal bleeding, pain,  discharge, painful urination and vaginal bleeding. Penile discharge may be watery and appear white or cloudy.

“Gonorrhea is another sexually transmitted infection which involves an infection of Neisseria gonorrhoeae bacteria. About 1.14 million new gonorrhea infections occur each year in the United States. It can cause white, yellow, or green penile discharge or an increased amount of vaginal discharge. Other symptoms of gonorrhea include: difficult or painful urination, pain or tenderness in the testicles or scrotum, Apata further explained.