In the past week, despite the fact that Sanwoolu has continued to visually assault our senses and it’s 2019 and we don’t have 24/7 light. Nigerians have chosen to carry women and what they do with their bodies on their head.

And it’s not just this past week, Nigerians (read as Nigerian men) have had a weird fixation on womens’ bodies since time immemorial. If they are not talking about how our ‘bakas are making them go crazy’

Oh girl as I see you dey waka

Everybody dey look your baka

Dem dey wonder how dem fit to touch your heavy something

– Eldee

They are telling us how to use our bodies.

Instead make you work, you dey find Alhaji

Eh eh, you dey find Alhaji

You come turn your body to cash and carry

Eh eh cash and carry.

– Falz

From one Nigerian woman, speaking on behalf of millions of Nigerian women, here’s a PSA to Nigerian men who still don’t understand that women own their bodies. You have no say over what women do with their bodies. And yes this includes using it for transactional sex.

With as much noise that has been made over this issue, you’d think that transactional sex is criminalized in Nigeria. It’s not. Do you know what is criminalized, however? Fraud, theft, corruption, bribery, things whose gravity has been equated to transactional sex mostly because of its presumed immorality.

But what dictates morality in society? Is it religion? Where several exist and all have different definitions as to what constitutes morality. Or is it the people? Who would put a tire over a petty thief’s head and hail a corrupt politician on the same day?

It’s a shame it’s 2019 and this still needs to be done but here’s why why we need to let women be women. – OUR BODIES ARE OUR OWN. We shouldn’t have to make an argument for what we choose to do with it.

It’s ridiculous that when a man and woman both consent to and partake in a supposed immoral act. Only women are tried and found guilty at the court of public opinion.

It’s 2019 people let’s not just let women be women. Let’s let women be.

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