Aina Gold, a single mother who joined the #FearlessInOctober protest on Tuesday, has revealed that she is battling the temptation to turn to prostitution as a result of the severe economic hardship in the country.
Aina, along with other demonstrators, gathered at Ikeja Underbridge in Lagos State during the 2024 Independence Day protests, expressing their frustrations over the worsening living conditions in Nigeria.
“I am deeply disappointed with the life we are living. I’m struggling to keep going; otherwise, I would have turned to prostitution just to survive,” Aina lamented.
She highlighted the rising cost of basic necessities, saying, “Even staple foods like gari, kulikuli, and sachet water have become so expensive. What is happening to our country? This suffering is unbearable.”
Aina also expressed disillusionment, reflecting on her initial hopes for improvement under the current administration. “We thought things would get better with our own man as president,” she said.
Recalling how the hardship intensified during the Naira redesign policy, she stated, “We’ve been suffering since the ‘No Cash’ days. It wasn’t even this bad during COVID-19 or the ENDSARS protests.”
She explained how the financial strain has affected her ability to support her family, saying, “I can no longer send money to my mother. It feels like whatever little we can afford vanishes almost immediately.”
Aina, who has been a single mother since 2013, shared how her once-thriving business has dwindled. “I used to own a big shop, but now I’m left with just a makeshift stall,” she said, adding that if it weren’t for her discipline, she might have already resorted to prostitution.
“The struggle began during the ‘No Cash’ period, and things have only worsened since then. There’s so much more to say, but we’re tired of suffering in silence,” she concluded.
