Prostitution, like it is generally known, is as old as the world itself and what was once a thing of shame, is now practiced in the full glare of the public.
Some women have even glamorized the trade and some see it as a very lucrative, especially those that manage to travel out of the country to engage in prostitution.
But there are reasons why some ladies take to it and most of the reasons may not just be far from the realities in the country.
Pulse List brings you top 10 reasons Nigerian women go into prostitution.
1. Poverty
The first excuse that is given for the proliferation of prostitution has to be poverty, especially if the lady comes from a poverty stricken background.
Young ladies whose parents are incapable of taking care of them and their siblings, tend to go into prostitution so as to make ends meet and take care of their families.
2. Unemployment
It is not every prostitute that is lazy or just willing to sell herself for money. Some of them go into it because there are no jobs for them to do to take care of their needs.
Some of them are well educated but with no job readily available for them to do, they decide to sell themselves for money.
3. Peer Pressure
This is another reason ladies go into the trade of prostitution. Some of the ladies involved are often pressurized into the trade because their friends are into it and they do not let them know the dangers involved in it, only the glamorous part of it.
And before they get to know the dangerous repercussions, they are neck deep into it and find it difficult to get out.
4. Laziness
Some ladies are naturally lazy and expect a man to cater for every of their needs. They want to live the high life, buy high-end clothes, travel around the world and live life to a hilt but they are not willing to work hard for the lifestyle.
So they feel the best way to enjoy both worlds is to become a prostitute.
5. Sexual Addiction
For many, this reason may not be strong enough but research has shown that some ladies go into prostitution because they have a high sexual libido and it is often very difficult for one man to satisfy them sexually.
So they feel the best thing to do is to go into prostitution where they will get an array of men every day to have sex with them.
6. Lack of Parental Care
Some parents do not care about what happens to their children, neither do they feel it is their duty to give them the right guidance as they are growing up.
Such children usually end up getting advice from friends and most times, these advice turn out to be poor.
Children who are from broken homes, with no one to lead them on the right path, are often open to such temptations and they usually fall into the wrong hands.
7. Heartbreak
Believe it or not, a lady who is heartbroken may be tempted to take vengeance on men by becoming a prostitute.
These ladies have very fragile hearts and if a man they love so much breaks their hearts, they feel the urge to take revenge by sleeping with other men, with the wrong notion that they are hurting the man who hurt them too.
8. Money
The overriding reason for women engaging in prostitution is the money they can make from the trade.
In an economy that there are so many uncertainties due to the harsh climate, sex still sells and the ladies reckon that they will always make ends meet if they sell themselves.
9. Victims of Rape and Trafficking
Some of the commercial sex workers we have in Nigeria today are victims of sex slavery, rape, child labour and trafficking.
Those who are sexually abused or raped when they are young see nothing great, divine or important about sex.
Their conceptions about sex have been derailed due to their childhood experiences. Some have low-self esteem and other sexual disorders that later lead them into prostitution.
Some young ones are forced and forced into sex slavery, pornography and prostitution.
10. Loneliness
Loneliness is another reason that can push women into prostitution, believe it or not. A woman who has been abandoned by a man can feel desolate and to prove she is wanted by men, decides to go into prostitution.
It's interesting that all of these points refer to something bad. I think it is quite a comprehensive list, but is it really impossible that a woman (or man) could just choose to be a prostitute? I'm not saying it's a good or bad thing. Don't you think though that it could be a decision that a person makes? Couldn't it be a career choice? There are other more "acceptable" professions where people use their body to provide a service for others. Massage therapists could be one example. The only point you have that could be interpreted as a little bit positive is "sex addiction", but even that sounds like an illness. What do you think?