Different levels of prostitution or ‘olosho business’ in Nigeria

by Zeus

Prostitution is the trading of sex for financial or material gains.

Nigeria ranks top in the list of countries with the highest rates of prostitution in the world.

When it comes to prostitution, there are levels, depending on where and how the marketer operates.

These are the different levels of prostitution you can find in Nigeria:

1. Akwuna

These are mostly local girls that operate in the villages. They are usually beautiful, religious and naive-looking. Their main client includes village chiefs, kings and church priests. They specifically target married men with a certain position of authority in the village. In most cases they become pregnant and are married as second wives.

2. Ashawo

You find this group in cities and major towns in the country. Another name for this group is olosho. They are usually akwunas who have decided to take their game to the next level. You find them standing on streets at night and are usually very cunning. Allen Avenue and Ikeja GRA have a good population of them.

3. Runs Girls

This group comprise mainly Federal University students who travel far and wide to meet their destiny helpers. Unlike the street-bound ashawo, run girls are smart and usually learned. She dresses well, speaks good English and can hold a decent conversation. Most of them turn out to be great achievers in life, if they are not killed and used for money rituals by power-hungry politicians.

4. Slay Queen

A runs girl who has graduated but couldn’t get a job will most likely become a slay queen. The two groups (runs girls and slay queens) share very similar characteristics. Slay queens are masters in leading fake lives. Most run girls you find in Lekki are slay queens.

5. Corporate marketers

This group comprise mainly professional people who only dabble into prostitution to help their careers. They may do it to get a promotion, a raise, or a better-paying job. Their own style is part-time and most times will have other things going on in their lives. You find a lot of them in banks and insurance companies.

6. Small Girls with a Big God!

This group has singlehandedly redefined prostitution in Nigeria and taken it to far greater heights. They are mostly celebrities or former run girls who have achieved some level of fame. They operate both domestically and internationally and boast of some of the most high-profile clients ever.   They always fly first-class and wear only top designers. They operate a steady Instagram account where they post flashy photos of themselves — this is a marketing strategy that helps them in getting steady gigs and better negotiation.

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Izuchukwu ‘Zeus’ Okpala is a senior writer at DNB Stories, specialized in humour and satire.