Favour’s
story is that of a helpless girl, whose survival in life only lies in her
personal struggle, since her parents could not fend for her. After finishing
her secondary education in her hometown, she could not continue her education
in view of her poor background.
In her
family, she was like the breadwinner, supporting her poor mother to provide for
the family.
She also
joined her friends to do menial jobs to meet up with the family
responsibilities. At a stage, her family situation became so tough that she got
tired of bearing the hardship in the village.
Thereafter,
she relocated to Lagos to ‘hustle’ to survive and continue her education. On
her arrival in July 2016, she was lucky to secure a job in a canteen at Orile
where she worked for
some months,
and made some money.
Remembering
her family, she travelled to see them in her hometown, but, when she returned,
her employer had already replaced her and did not make any provision for her
accommodation.
Favour
became homeless and jobless. That was the beginning of her present predicament,
as she started wandering around looking for shelter and job.
She told The
Sun that her search for job and accommodation landed her in a hotel where she
later joined other prostitutes in the business.
“I became stranded
and frustrated when I did not get anywhere to stay or job to do. It was the
search for accommodation that led me to a lady’s house at Orile, Iganmu who
offered to accommodate me.
Then, I was
there managing, looking for another job. After sometime, the lady had
accommodation problem, so I left and ended up in a hotel around the area,” she
said.
According to
her, she did not plan to be a pro-stitute. But due to frustration and hunger,
those who accommodated her lured her into becoming one.
“I was doing
the job and making little money, but I was not comfortable with it.
Favour had
an ugly experience as a pro-stitute. One day, she went to a hotel in Ajegunle
to ‘hustle’, and three men had s*x with her consecutively to the extent that
she became unconscious and could not go home in the morning.
“Three
strong men slept with me one after the other and paid me the sum of N3,000
each. I nearly fainted in the process. I had pains all over me. I regretted
being into pros-titution because I saw hell.”
She
explained that she went for the Ajegunle Apapa night outing in order to pay her
hotel room rent at Orile, which was already overdue.
“So, after
that, out of the N9,000 I made that night, I used the sum of N7,000 to pay my
weekly rent. Then, I spent the balance for my feeding.”
Along the
line, Favour met a young man who later impregnated her and could not show up to
bear the responsibility.
“My
boyfriend, Lawrence, an Edo boy who works as a cleaner in a bank, impregnated
me. I knew him shortly when I joined pros-titution. When I went to where we
used to meet at Ajegunle, Apapa Lagos to inform him, I was told that he had
left the place. And, I cannot get him on phone any longer.”
With the
pregnancy, which is now about 3 months old, she went back to the hotel,
frustrated and refused to continue her business.
One day, a
Non Governmental Organisation, DECSON Savechild Life Organisation, met her at
the hotel, and in the course of an interview, she narrated her ordeal, telling
them that she was tired and no longer interested in pros-stitution.
She appealed
for support to secure a job and accommodation.
“I was in
the hotel at Orile Iganmu Lagos when a man saw me and wanted to know why I
decided to be a pros-titute at my age. Then, I explained to him what happened
and he took me to a pastor for counselling, when we eventually got there, they
did not allow me to see the pastor after the church service.
As a result,
I became stranded, looking for where to sleep. I ended up sleeping in a shop
opposite the hotel. And, since then, I have been going here and there looking
for where to lay my head.”
According to
her, she decided not to go back to Delta because that would compound problems.
“While I am
suffering, I do not want to go back to my village now because my mother cannot
cater for my three months pregnancy."
Meanwhile,
the Chief Executive Officer of Decson Savechild Life, Mr. Eustace Njoku, told
The Sun that Favour was under the care of his organization. He disclosed with
joy that a comprehensive test had been run on her at the Ajeromi General
Hospital and that the result showed she was HIV negative, but suffered
emotional and psychological trauma, and a minor infection.
“When we
took her to the hospital, some drugs were prescribed for her after the tests.
Fortunately, a partner NGO assisted us in paying the hospital bill. Also the
Social welfare Department of the hospital was of assistance to us, they are
responsive and accommodating. I am very happy about that,” he said.
Mr. Njoku
also informed that his NGO was partnering the Lagos State Ministry of Women
Affairs, through WAPA, and the Ministry of Youths and Social Development on how
to rehabilitate Favour.
“We have
written to them and are now waiting for their response. What we want is good
health care, feeding and accommodation for her till she delivers her baby. As I
speak, she is not emotionally stable due to frustration.
"And we
have tried to send her to her village, but she refused, on the ground that she
does not want to compound the problem of her mother, whom she said couldn’t
cope with her present situation. That is why we try to rehabilitate her before
taking her to her family and that will be after her delivery.
For us, the
major challenges she has now are shelter, food and good ante natal health care.
Then after her delivery, we will be talking about how to rehabilitate her so
that she will not go back to her old life of prostitution.”
For
assistance, Favour could be reached on 08125594721 or 07014435594.
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