Opinion
Curbing Menace Of Campus Prostitution
The growing rate of campus prostitution in Nigeria’s tertiary institutions today is alarming and gradually growing into a cancer that may be difficult to manage. And unless something is urgently done to nip it in the bud, it may one day consume our society.
Honestly speaking, the rate at which many female students prostitute on campuses has always given me serious concern. Just like campus cultism, the menace is festering and thriving menacingly on campuses.
It is appalling to note that many female students now use their bodies as a means of getting money, even when some of them have parents to cater for their education and well-being. They combine their studies with sex work, all in a bid to get money for cosmetic things like make-up kits and good clothes, just because they want to look good and be noticed.
One needs to see most of these indulgent students returning to campus after sexual transactions with wads of cash, glitzy clothes and other gifts. With regular money coming from the illicit trade, it is pretty easy for them to joggle academic pursuit and prostitution because they have everything needed to settle academic failure standing in their way. This makes the resistance of many innocent students to begin to wear thin.
Virtually all campuses of tertiary institutions are guilty of this. They now have spots where girls can be picked up and dropped at any time after sexual transaction. This is nauseating.
It is often said that “children are the future of tomorrow”, but can this crop of students guarantee a good and prospective future? I doubt.
To be honest, studying in Nigerian universities can be daunting; it takes only students with determination to scale through the hurdles. In spite of this, there is no good justification for campus prostitution.
It is worth knowing that prostitution took several years to seep into tertiary institutions. As the vice evolved and began to consume our young girls, people chose to ignore it as a mere fad that would soon go away. It was largely left unchecked and so took hold of our society.
Now, it has become a way of life in Nigeria’s supposed citadels of learning such that these corporate and campus prostitutes often parade themselves in exotic cars, jewelries and costumes to the envy and admiration of their fellow students.
Before now, prostitution was restricted to only female adults who see selling of their bodies as the fastest way of getting income for their upkeeps. Now, young girls in their teens have also caught the bug.
More astonishing is the entrance of young men into the menace. Men now trade their bodies for various reasons, including securing jobs or contracts from rich women with good connection, who are old enough to be their mothers. I learnt similar things are now in vogue on campuses where male students are lured into sexual relationship with their female lecturers. What is our society turning into?
My worry is that despite the high spread of deadly sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes (AIDS), prostitution does not abate. Many women are currently undergoing serious trauma and pelvic pains as a result of unprotected sex arising from prostitution. This is dangerous to our society.
Studies have shown that those who engage in prostitution do not have proper parental upbringing or are under bad peer influence. Studies have also shown that most women prostitutes indulge in heavy drinking and smoking, another habit that is inimical to health. No wonder the rate of cancer and mortality in the country is on the increase.
I think parental ignorance and wickedness contribute to this menace on our campuses. Many parents prefer lavishing their money on unnecessary things than to cater for the education of their female children, while those who do so fail inculcate good moral on their children.
It is, therefore, imperative for parents to give their children proper upbringing at home before dispatching them to school, in addition to see their children’s schooling as their responsibility. An untrained child always ends up as a liability.
However, it is no longer news that the rate of poverty in the country has increased tremendously due to the inactions of those that are in the saddle of power in the country. As a result of this, many people are ready to commit all kinds of heinous crimes, including prostitution, to survive.
This, however, is not a good justification for the high rate of prostitution among students. It should worry every right-thinking mind that the supposed future leaders are the ones engaging in this immoral and shameful act. Or how does one describe a situation where young ladies in their teens turn themselves into sex merchants, selling their bodies to rich and wealth politicians, lawmakers and businessmen in the name of survival?
Meanwhile, the wild exposure acquired by these young lasses has also led to the breakdown of discipline on campuses as many of them no longer respect their lecturers or constituted authorities.
Also, the value of hard work, research and intellectual pursuit has been compromised and thrown to the dustbin of history, as most of these students believe, erroneously though, that they can acquire good grades by bribing their lecturers either in kind or cash, using proceeds from the illicit sex trade. This poses serious challenge to academic excellence in various schools as well as pollutes the society.
Therefore, all stakeholders in the education sector, including religious organisations and non- governmental organisations (NGOs) should intensify campaign against campus prostitution. In particular, all tertiary institutions should have stringent codes of conduct for both the students and their lecturers.
Just as schools frown at campus cultism, all illicit affairs involving students should be met with severe punishment. Any student caught trading his or her body for money or marks either within or outside the campus should be expelled to avoid corrupting the innocent ones.
I also recommend that any lecturer who is found to be after money or sex should be sacked outright to serve as deterrent to others.
Ekeke is a student of Mass Communication, Abia State University, Uturu.
By: Favour Ekeke
From all indications, Nigeria possesses enough human and material resources to become a true economic powerhouse in Africa. According to the National Population Commission (NPC, 2023), the country’s population has grown steadily within the last decade, presently standing at about 220 million people—mostly young, vibrant, and innovative. Nigeria also remains the sixth-largest oil producer in the world, with enormous reserves of gas, fertile agricultural land, and human capital.
Yet, despite this enormous potential, the country continues to grapple with underdevelopment, poverty, unemployment, and insecurity. Recent data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS, 2023) show that about 129 million Nigerians currently live below the poverty line. Most families can no longer afford basic necessities, even as the government continues to project a rosy economic picture.
The Subsidy Question
The removal of fuel subsidy in 2023 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been one of the most controversial policy decisions in Nigeria’s recent history. According to the president, subsidy removal was designed to reduce fiscal burden, unify the foreign exchange rate, attract investment, curb inflation, and discourage excessive government borrowing.
While these objectives are theoretically sound, the reality for ordinary Nigerians has been severe hardship. Fuel prices more than tripled, transportation costs surged, and food inflation—already high—rose above 30% (NBS, 2023). The World Bank (2023) estimates that an additional 7.1 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty after subsidy removal.
A Critical Economic View
As an economist, I argue that the problem was not subsidy removal itself—which was inevitable—but the timing, sequencing, and structural gaps in Nigeria’s implementation.
- Structural Miscalculation
Nigeria’s four state-owned refineries remain nonfunctional. By removing subsidies without local refining capacity, the government exposed the economy to import-price pass-through effects—where global oil price shocks translate directly into domestic inflation. This was not just a timing issue but a fundamental policy miscalculation.
- Neglect of Social Safety Nets
Countries like Indonesia (2005) and Ghana (2005) removed subsidies successfully only after introducing cash transfers, transport vouchers, and food subsidies for the poor (World Bank, 2005). Nigeria, however, implemented removal abruptly, shifting the fiscal burden directly onto households without protection.
- Failure to Secure Food and Energy Alternatives
Fuel subsidy removal amplified existing weaknesses in agriculture and energy. Instead of sequencing reforms, government left Nigerians without refinery capacity, renewable energy alternatives, or mechanized agricultural productivity—all of which could have cushioned the shock.
Political and Public Concerns
Prominent leaders have echoed these concerns. Mr. Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, described the subsidy removal as “good but wrongly timed.” Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party also faulted the government’s hasty approach. Human rights activists like Obodoekwe Stive stressed that refineries should have been made functional first, to reduce the suffering of citizens.
This is not just political rhetoric—it reflects a widespread economic reality. When inflation climbs above 30%, when purchasing power collapses, and when households cannot meet basic needs, the promise of reform becomes overshadowed by social pain.
Broader Implications
The consequences of this policy are multidimensional:
- Inflationary Pressures – Food inflation above 30% has made nutrition unaffordable for many households.
- Rising Poverty – 7.1 million Nigerians have been newly pushed into poverty (World Bank, 2023).
- Middle-Class Erosion – Rising transport, rent, and healthcare costs are squeezing household incomes.
- Debt Concerns – Despite promises, government borrowing has continued, raising sustainability questions.
- Public Distrust – When government promises savings but citizens feel only pain, trust in leadership erodes.
In effect, subsidy removal without structural readiness has widened inequality and eroded social stability.
Missed Opportunities
Nigeria’s leaders had the chance to approach subsidy removal differently:
- Refinery Rehabilitation – Ensuring local refining to reduce exposure to global oil price shocks.
- Renewable Energy Investment – Diversifying energy through solar, hydro, and wind to reduce reliance on imported petroleum.
- Agricultural Productivity – Mechanization, irrigation, and smallholder financing could have boosted food supply and stabilized prices.
- Social Safety Nets – Conditional cash transfers, food vouchers, and transport subsidies could have protected the most vulnerable.
Instead, reform came abruptly, leaving citizens to absorb all the pain while waiting for theoretical long-term benefits.
Conclusion: Reform With a Human Face
Fuel subsidy removal was inevitable, but Nigeria’s approach has worsened hardship for millions. True reform must go beyond fiscal savings to protect citizens.
Economic policy is not judged only by its efficiency but by its humanity. A well-sequenced reform could have balanced fiscal responsibility with equity, ensuring that ordinary Nigerians were not crushed under the weight of sudden change.
Nigeria has the resources, population, and resilience to lead Africa’s economy. But leadership requires foresight. It requires policies that are inclusive, humane, and strategically sequenced.
Reform without equity is displacement of poverty, not development. If Nigeria truly seeks progress, its policies must wear a human face.
References
- National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2023). Poverty and Inequality Report. Abuja.
- National Population Commission (NPC). (2023). Population Estimates. Abuja.
- World Bank. (2023). Nigeria Development Update. Washington, DC.
- World Bank. (2005). Fuel Subsidy Reforms: Lessons from Indonesia and Ghana. Washington, DC.
- OPEC. (2023). Annual Statistical Bulletin. Vienna.
By: Amarachi Amaugo