In Nigeria, small business owners are facing unprecedented challenges. The harsh economic realities of the past year have put immense strain on entrepreneurs, from boutique owners to domestic appliance sellers.

For Mrs. Nkiru, who owns a boutique in Ago Okota, Lagos, patronage of her beautiful dresses has seen little grace in recent times; as customers’ attentions dwindle beneath the lashings of economic strife.

Once upon a time, customers flocked to her fashionable abode in satisfactory numbers to admire and ultimately buy from her dazzling collections. Now far removed is their interest as their wallets cannot meet the challenge of current prices.

“A gown of N5,000 before is now twice the amount,” Nkiru lamented.  

Now the era of “buying on credit “ is what she clings to in hopes of maintaining the patronage and loyalty of her trusted customers.

This trend has inspired brow-beaten reactions from tired entrepreneurs who yearn for nothing more than a sliver of relief,  as hardship continues to beat at the door of their endurance.

The boutique owner’s plight 

Nkiru vividly illustrates the difficulties faced by fashion retailers. “When you compare last year to this year, things are much worse,” she explains.

Prices of clothing have surged due to the depreciating value of the Naira against the dollar, leading to a significant drop in consumer purchasing power.

“Last year, you could buy a variety of clothes for a set amount, but now that same amount only gets you a fraction of what it used to,” Nkiru says.

She recalls a recent experience where N300,000, which would have purchased around 100 gowns last year, now only buys about 30.

Nkiru’s situation is exacerbated by rising costs across the board. “The cost of living has gone up, so people prioritize food and basic necessities over fashion. The result is that customers buy less and ask for credit more often,” she laments. 

She reports that her weekly sales have dropped considerably. “Where I used to have customers buying several items in one visit, now they often only purchase one or ask to pay later,” Nkiru says.

This shift has led to delayed payments, with customers taking weeks or even months to settle their debts.

The cost of goods has also risen sharply. A gown that once cost N5,000 now goes for N15,000, leaving little room for profit. “Everyone is struggling to make ends meet,” she says, noting that even landlords are raising rents, forcing some small businesses to close.

Domestic Appliance Retailer’s Woes 

Mrs. Mariam, who sells kitchen utensils and home appliances, is equally disheartened. “It has been tough,” she admits. Sales have dwindled as people focus on basic needs rather than discretionary purchases.

“The prices of appliances have tripled,” Mariam explains. “A mop that was N900 last year now costs N1,800. A set of pots that was N16,500 is now N12,000 for just one piece.” Such price hikes have made customers hesitant to buy new items, preferring to make do with what they have. 

Mariam also notes a dramatic drop in patronage. “Last year, we could make between N20,000 and N30,000 a day. Now, some days we make nothing at all,” she says.

The contrast is stark: where a customer might have spent N40,000 in one visit, now they only spend a fraction of that amount.

The increased cost of living affects her business’s profitability. “Even if you make a sale, you might end up using the money just to cover daily expenses,” she laments. “The situation is dire, and saving is almost impossible.”

Provision Store Owner’s Struggles 

Mrs. Okoye, who runs a provision store, echoes similar sentiments. She describes how the cost of staples has soared.

“Last year, a small pack of noodles was N5000. Now it’s N7,677,” she says. The rise in prices has squeezed profit margins and made it difficult for businesses to thrive. 

Rent is another significant burden. “My rent has increased from N180,000 to N240,000 over the past two years,” Okoye says.

To cope, she has diversified her offerings, including selling alcoholic beverages to attract more customers.

Despite these efforts, the challenges persist. “The small gain you make from selling products isn’t enough to cover costs and generate profit,” she explains.

Hairdresser’s Decline  

Lady P, a hairdresser, notes a dramatic change in customer flow. “Weekends used to be our busiest times, but now we see fewer customers,” she observes. The reduction in clientele has forced her to close on Saturdays, a day that was previously a steady source of income.

“Last year, we bought a bag of honey beans for N70,000. Now it’s N147,000,” she reports. Prices for other staples have similarly increased. “Rice prices fluctuate, but you’re still paying more. A carton of spaghetti, which was about N18,500, now costs N18,800.” 

Lady P also mentions that some goods, like beans, have become so expensive that customers are buying less. “People aren’t buying beans as much as they used to,” she says, noting that some products have been sitting unsold for weeks.

Laundry Service Challenges 

B-Smart Laundry Service is also feeling the pinch.

“We used to get about 10 customers a day, but now it’s down to five,” the owner explains. The cost of materials like Lylon and soaps has increased, leading to higher prices for customers. 

“People are choosing to wash their clothes at home because they can’t afford our services,” she says. The cost of cleaning a suit, which was N700, has now risen to N1,500. Such price increases are driving customers away, affecting the business’s bottom line. 

The Bigger Picture 

The experiences of these small business owners paint a grim picture of Nigeria’s current economic landscape. The percentage difference in prices from last year to this year reveals a stark reality:

• Clothing: N5,000 last year to N15,000 this year – a 200% increase.
• Mops: N900 last year to N1,800 this year – a 100% increase.
• Pot: N16,500 for a set (which is four in one) last year to N12,000 for just one piece this year.
• Noodles: N5,000 last year to N7,677 this year – a 53% increase.
• Beans: N70,000 last year to N147,000 this year – a 110% increase.
• Rice: N70,000 last year to N70,000+ this year (fluctuating but not below last year’s price).
• Spaghetti: N18,500 day before to N18,800 recently – a 1.6% increase.
• Laundry (suit): N700 last year to N1,500 this year – a 114% increase.

These figures highlight the severe impact of inflation and economic instability on small businesses. Entrepreneurs are not only grappling with higher costs but also with reduced consumer spending.

As they navigate this challenging environment, the resilience of Nigeria’s small business sector is tested like never before.

The road ahead remains uncertain, but the stories of these small business owners reveal a critical need for systemic changes to alleviate the economic strain and support local enterprises.

 [Nairametrics]

Nigeria Police have confirmed that its personnel arrested and detained the missing whistleblower, PIDOM.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuwiya Adejobi, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday.

Naija News reported that PIDOM, a social media whistleblower, who has leaked many government and security agencies classified memos to expose corruption, was declared missing on Friday.

In a series of reports by Naija News, on Friday, Nigerians and human rights activists, including former Minister of Education, Obiageli Ezekwesili, condemned the police for going after PIDOM.

Adejobi, on Saturday, said Isaac Bristol, who is behind the PIDOM handle, was arrested at a hotel in Rivers State.

The statement read: “In a well-coordinated effort, officials from the Nigeria Police Force National Cybercrime Centre (NPF-NCCC) apprehended Bristol Isaac Tamunobiefiri, also known as PIDOM, on allegations of committing serious offenses that undermine the integrity of government operations. The arrest took place on August 5, 2024, in his hotel room Rivers State.”

He added that allegations against Bristol include leakage of classified documents and other cyber-related offenses. He assured that due diligence would be done in his case.

“There are several allegations levelled against the suspect, including unlawful possession, leakages of classified documents, cyber-related offenses, and others. We will do due diligence in carrying out thorough investigation into the cases.

“The force will leave no stone unturned to continually enforce the law and bequeath to Nigerians a more secure nation,” he added.

[NaijaNews]

Over 100 former employees of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) have filed lawsuits against the apex bank at the National Industrial Court (NIC), seeking compensation and general damages following their recent dismissal.

According to reports, the staff were laid off as part of a reorganisation strategy implemented by President Bola Tinubu administration.

The plaintiffs argued that their termination, which came with years still left on their contracts, was abrupt and unjust. They are now demanding payment for their outstanding salaries, allowances, and other entitlements.

Lead Counsel for some of the affected staff, Mr. Ola Olanipekun (SAN), presented the court documents to journalists in Jos, Plateau State.

Olanipekun stated that the legal action was taken to enforce the plaintiffs’ rights to fair hearing. “The unlawful actions of the apex bank have caused monumental damages to my clients, amounting to hundreds of millions of Naira,” he said. “We are asking the court to ensure that the CBN pays all claimants their due monthly salaries, allowances, and other entitlements.”

Olanipekun highlighted the case of one claimant, who had nine years of service remaining. This individual would have earned N1,621,455.70 monthly, had the employment not terminated. The counsel is requesting that the court orders the CBN to pay N178,360,127.00—covering the period from the termination until the claimant’s expected retirement date on August 4, 2033.

Additionally, the claimant seeks N100,000,000 as general damages for wrongful termination, along with N30,000,000 to cover litigation costs. They also request a 21% post-judgment interest per annum on all awarded sums until fully paid, plus any further orders the court deems appropriate.

The Originating Summons, dated August 22, 2024, is supported by a 27-paragraph affidavit submitted by the claimant.

Recall that LEADERSHIP reported the mass layoffs in May 2024, citing the documentation in a letter titled “Re-organisation of the CBN”.

[Leadership]

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State has commenced payment of the N70,000 minimum wage approved by the Federal Government.

President Bola Tinubu had signed the new Minimum Wage bill into law a few weeks ago.

This was after back and forth with the organised labour.

However, many governors have said they can not pay N70,000 minimum wage as a result of economic reality.

But the Adamawa governor initiated the payment of the new minimum wage for state workers, starting from August 2024, with a promise that local government workers will begin receiving the increased salary in September.

This has sparked widespread celebration among civil servants in the state.

Multiple sources, including state workers who received their salaries, confirmed the development to Daily Trust.

Some workers expressed appreciation to the governor for fulfilling his promise while describing him as a “man of his word.”

The implementation of the new minimum wage has been hailed as a significant achievement for the Fintiri administration, which has been nicknamed the “Fresh Air Government” by its supporters.

[DailyTrust]

Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Matthew Kukah, has bemoaned the continuous persecution of Christians in the North, saying perpetrators are allowed to move freely without facing punishment.

He said regardless of the ill-treatment experienced by the church in the North in recent years, not a single individual had been charged to court for those incidents.

The bishop stated this virtually during the Silver Jubilee Anniversary of the Order of the Knights of St Mulumba Nigeria, Eko Subordinate Council, themed: ‘Christian Martyrdom in Nigeria…a Building Block or Stumbling Block to Salvation or Patriotism,’ held in Lagos.

He also decried the ethnic colouration that was being given to the Christian faith in Nigeria, stressing that such attitude must be jettisoned.

“If you look at our country – Nigeria, the issue is that, in Northern Nigeria, Christians constitute some of the groups that you can kill without consequences. You can ask yourself has anybody ever been charged for burning churches or for destroying Christian properties.

“A pastor was slaughtered openly in Adamawa. People, priests were killed in Benue. Priests have been killed in Kaduna.

“It seems as if killing Christians is the only thing the world can do without consequences. That means that if you are serious as Christians, Catholics, what happens to the church in Ikwerre, what happens to the church in Sokoto, what happens to the church in Onitsha, what happens to the church everywhere in this country should affect us.

“Tragically, you know, Christianity has become largely subordinated to ethnicity.

“Many people today still have a caliphate mentality that those who are not part of us must be against us. And this is the fate of Christians and Christianity in many parts of Northern Nigeria today, where Christianity is being tolerated.

“Christians are being denied lands to build churches, and it is not seen as a problem. In a place like Kenya, I have a problem of that nature right now as we talk.”

Speaking on, Bishop Kukah said they must preach the gospel, whether welcome or unwelcome, adding that it has no political and ethnic boundaries.

“It is not about friendship. If it is about friendship, Jesus would have said to Peter, get behind me. When we are confronted, martyrdom is not just about being killed. Because, of course, in the end, you are killed for speaking the truth.

“I remember in the days of Abacha, many times people used to say to me, oh Bishop, if you don’t keep quiet, you will be killed for nothing.

“I am saying so because we now need to come to terms with the essence that every day of our lives as Christians, we are challenged to martyrdom. Martyrdom because a sword is dangling before us,” he said.

[DailyPost]

The Police said no ransom was paid to secure the release of the 20 medical students kidnapped in Benue.

A statement by the Force Police Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi said: “Contrary to some tweets and unconfirmed stories that some money was paid, no kobo was paid to release them. They were actually rescued tactically and professionally.”

THE NATION reported the kidnap of the medical students on 15 August and their eventual release on Friday.

The police are yet to provide details of the rescue, including whether any of the kidnappers were arrested or killed.

A colleague of the kidnapped students told our correspondent the kidnappers demanded N50 million ransom.

Despite the public aversion some Nigerians have towards pornography, it has become an addictive pastime for many married men. This habit not only heightens their obsessive appetite for sexual exploration but also fosters unrealistic fantasies that can lead to extramarital affairs or cause physical and psychological problems, writes Victor Ayeni

On a restless night in 2019, Nicholas Onyeabor tossed and turned in bed, his mind flooded with intrusive thoughts as he struggled to find even a moment of sleep.

That night was just one of many for the 41-year-old, self-described former pornography addict, as he grappled with insomnia on his thorny path toward recovery.

On that night, his wife, Adaobi, slept peacefully beside him, unaware of the tangled psychological battles her husband faced as he fought to overcome his porn addiction.

Now a father of three, Onyeabor traced his addiction to Internet porn back to 2008, during his final year at one of the federal universities in the South-West.

The native of Abiriba, Abia State, who was raised in a strict, conservative Christian background, admitted that while he was hooked on porn, he firmly believed that his cravings would diminish as soon as he got married.

Alas, to his chagrin, Onyeabor soon found out that he was wrong.

“It all started one night in February 2008, when I was 25,” he told Saturday PUNCH with his brow furrowed.

“That Friday, I went to an overnight browsing session at one of the cyber cafés on campus to work on my final year project. After a couple of hours, I was done gathering the materials I needed for my research, but I came across a website that we now call a hookup site.

“When I clicked on one of the links, it took me straight to a porn site. Due to my upbringing, I was afraid and quickly closed the window. But an hour later, I returned there and began to view the images on the site. By the end of that night, I was entering certain sex-themed words into Google, which led me to different websites where I viewed explicit photos.”

As cyber cafés—once common across Nigerian cities—gradually disappeared, the rise of internet-enabled mobile phones provided many users with unrestricted access to explicit content that was previously more difficult to obtain.

This was the situation Onyeabor found himself in because accessing those sites was just at his fingertips.

“As of the time I got married in 2014, I was so addicted to porn that my phone and laptop had files dedicated to all kinds of adult material I saved from the internet, and I would pleasure myself almost daily.

“My wife knew nothing about this. I mean, how do you tell your loving wife that you get off to hardcore material online? It was a shameful thing to divulge. You see, we were a dedicated church-going couple, and things looked good on the surface,” he blurted.

Descent into addiction

Onyeabor revealed that his pornography addiction drastically altered the dynamics of his marriage, leading to a decline in his physical attraction to his wife.

He explained that for him, sexual intercourse became a dull routine—a mere obligation—that no longer excited him.

“I just went along with it, my mind was elsewhere,” he admitted to our correspondent. “I had cultivated an imagination of what ‘real sex’ was supposed to be like, and Ada wasn’t close to it.”

The 41-year-old said what made him start looking for a way to quit was when he realised he was having issues maintaining an erection, adding that he was in his late 30s at the time.

He said, “I tried a few suggestions someone gave me, but I soon found out that I could only get my ‘little man’ up if I looked at porn shortly before playing with madam.

“I think it was an article I read or a video that made me realise that I was addicted to porn and had to quit it. It took me more than a year of going ‘cold turkey’ on porn.

“I began to have sleepless nights, and sometimes, I had relapses too, but I finally kicked the habit. The other issue later resolved itself.”

Porn fuelling erectile dysfunction

The Addiction Centre, an online guide for addiction and recovery, defines pornography addiction as “a compulsion to watch porn and not being able to stop” and identifies one of its chief symptoms as having “cravings if you have gone without porn for any amount of time.”

A research work presented on July 16, 2020, at the European Association of Urology Virtual Congress, found that excessive pornography consumption was associated with a higher incidence of erectile dysfunction, a condition where males struggle to achieve and maintain an erection.

Some experts opined that while quitting pornography was not the easiest approach to take, they described it as a fast way for addicts to retake control of their lives and start feeling better.

Recounting how he became hooked on Internet porn, a married father of two, Kolapo Adigun, told Saturday PUNCH that a friend introduced him to a sexually explicit DVD collection in 2011.

Adigun said, “Back then in the early 2000s, when I was in secondary school, the only porn we knew were the ones in booklets with photos of nude models or the ones we snuck into cyber cafés to look at.

“I wouldn’t say I was addicted to those, though. It was when I saw all those multiple porn flicks burned on a DVD at a friend’s place that I got interested.

“From there, I began to download adult videos from different sites just to get off. At the time, I thought it was better than having multiple sex partners.”

When Adigun tied the knot with his wife in 2012, his cravings for explicit material continued unabated, and he eventually resorted to the very act he thought he would be safe from—having extramarital affairs.

“After we got married, I frequently indulged in it at the office where there was a free internet connection. On some evenings, I would be so charged that I would rush home to make love. After a time, I just got bored with the thing and had fun with hook-up girls who could spice things up. On some nights, I was still sneaking out of bed to indulge in porn.

“I will never forget the day my wife caught me touching myself in the bathroom while I looked at porn. She felt bad. It caused problems in our marriage. She no longer trusted me. For months after that day, whenever she saw me smiling alone at my phone or laptop, she would ask, ‘Are you watching your blue film again?”

‘I fell into porn after being sex-starved’ Our correspondent spoke to another married man, who disclosed that his descent into pornography and masturbation started after being sex-starved by his wife of four years.

The Ogun State indigene said, “I battled with pornography as a young boy in secondary school.

However, I stopped after I got married. At the initial stage of the marriage, I enjoyed sex with my wife and it was always fun.

“But suddenly, I discovered that she lost the desire for it, even though we don’t even any child yet. When I demand for sex, she tells me that she is tired. It really got me pissed off and before I knew it, I relapsed into porn and masturbation again just to relieve the urge. Now, I am hooked on it and I don’t even care whether she gives me sex or not. I just go to the bathroom and jerk off.”When our correspondent asked him if his wife was aware of the situation, he said no.

“She has no idea of it. I am also hoping to break off from it, but it has been difficult,” he added.

From soft to hardcore

Investigations by our correspondent showed that both the nature of pornography and its public accessibility in Nigeria have evolved significantly over the past two decades.

In the 90s, visual pornography entered the mainstream with soft-sell local and international magazines. Still, their circulation was often confined to certain social strata, and users had to contend with static erotica (sexually explicit content in a non-moving, still image format, such as photographs, drawings, illustrations etc).

While some of these materials were pictorial, others came in the form of lewd stories, which aided the user’s repertoire of fantasies about specific individuals, whom they considered objects of erotic desire.

At the time, X-rated movies were available to Nigerians only in the form of foreign home video cassettes and late-night cable channels, which were readily subscribed to by upper and middle-class citizens.

For the majority of other citizens, however, porn was inaccessible due to strict home video censorship.

But x-rated video cassettes were often rented at affordable prices from video clubs, which adorned virtually every street corner at the time.

In the early 2000s, the era of video cassettes rapidly gave way to the use of VCDs and DVDs, which provided porn users with upgraded and arguably more deviant forms of explicit content.

Unlike static porn, explicit media were more stimulating, and users quickly got bored viewing the same clip repeatedly.

To attract more customers, DVD marketers began selling dozens of explicit content packed in a single disc to cater to a growing demand for variety.

While their Western counterparts dug greedily for sexually explicit clips in adult bookstores, many Nigerian fans of hardcore porn would often patronise those VCD/DVDs hawkers in stalls and carts in public venues across cities.

During this time, cyber cafés flourished in Nigeria, with many patrons addicted to pornography booking overnight browsing sessions to fully satisfy their cravings.

Although much of this explicit online content was video stills and soft porn, many users resorted to sex webcams in chat rooms and slow video uploads, which in most cases, introduced viruses to the computers used by cyber cafés.

This changed in the late 2000s with the advent of high-speed internet, which introduced a new phenomenon: galleries of short porn clips.

These provided users with an endless stream of explicit videos, offering a few minutes of stimulation at a time, all accessible through a monthly subscription.

Starting in 2009, as more Nigerians gained access to internet-enabled mobile phones, porn tube sites became the go-to destination for many.

These sites allowed users to freely download hardcore content without the constraints of censorship or the fear of public disapproval.

Now, with the ubiquity of high-speed internet, smartphones, online photo-sharing services, social media sites such as X (formerly Twitter), and messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, porn users have a wide variety of access to materials that invariably fuel their addiction.

Caught after the act

A banker and father of three, Peter Durojaiye, told our correspondent that he changed his mode of viewing porn after his wife found an explicit video on his phone.

He said, “That night, I had downloaded some porn videos and got off with them before hitting the bed. But I didn’t remember to cancel the last video I watched before sleeping.

“To cut a long story short, my wife took my phone, maybe to check something, and saw that video. It was our pastor that settled that matter.”

When our correspondent inquired if he had quit porn since then, he responded, “No. I only stopped downloading such videos on my phone. Now, I view them only via the X app so that it doesn’t show on my browsing history.”

‘My view of women changed’

A computer engineer, Wole Daudu, who described himself as a porn user rather than an addict, pointed out that the explicit content he often viewed online changed his general perception of women.

Speaking with Saturday PUNCH, he said, “I first came across porn when it popped up while working on my laptop, and out of curiosity, I clicked on it. For me, it opened a kind of window to sex in a way I didn’t see before. The way I talked and looked at women changed, my thoughts became focused on sex, hot girls, buttocks, breasts, and getting off. I began to see women as mere tools for pleasure.

“I tried to introduce some of the styles I was seeing to my wife and she was okay with them at first. It was one day when I was choking her as we were in bed and she shoved my hands away that I knew she wasn’t enjoying it. It made me feel some kind of guilt.

“If you look at porn, you will see the way the women are treated by men. They are slapped, punched, choked and spat upon. The temptation is for the viewer to emulate these with their partner or wife. That, for me, was where I drew the line.”

A married woman who gave her name as Efe, in a message published by The Cable in September 2016 complained that after she got married, she found out that her husband was addicted to pornography.

She added that the results of medical tests conducted to unravel the cause of their infertility revealed that her husband also had low sperm counts.

“Even when we try to exercise our conjugal rights, it is always frustrating, because he can hardly maintain an erection. I have been hiding this shameful secret and I have also tried justifying his action by thinking that all men are into pornography. He has stopped sharing our matrimonial bed with me altogether,” she wrote.

According to research published by the Utah State University and the Journal of Sexual Research, some of the negative effects of porn addiction include a loss of interest in real partners, decreased intimacy, a loss of erection, delayed ejaculation or complete inability to orgasm during sex, and alarming new sexual tastes due to porn fetishes.

Daily masturbation, extreme content

In a Facebook support private group named Sex, Porn and Masturbation, which our correspondent joined, a member, Richard (surname withheld) wrote, “I struggle with porn and masturbate every day. I watch porn even after sleeping with my wife.

“I don’t know what to do and I don’t even want to pray because I feel guilty inside. I confessed to her and now she is saying she wants to leave me, please help.”

Another member and father of one, who preferred to be known as Godson told our correspondent in a private message that he had viewed extremely explicit content.

“When you start you will think, ‘Okay this is enough, it’s time to stop,’ but it’s not that easy because your brain keeps demanding more of it. It’s like a drug that you keep returning to. I have seen terrible things on the internet while searching for something new to excite my fantasy.

“I have seen little girls being defiled by big men. I have seen bestiality videos and even rape porn. This thing messes up the mind. It’s better not to start it than pulling out of it,” Godson wrote.

Most visited websites

Although the Nigerian public spaces are largely conservative and pornography is openly frowned upon by religious and traditional leaders, there are indications that there is a high demand for sexually explicit material among citizens online.

Data shared by StatiSense in a post on X on July 25, revealed that two porn popular sites, ranked third and sixth, respectively, among the most visited websites by Nigerians via mobile devices.

In another data posted on the same day by StatiSense, a porn website  (name witheld) was the 12th most visited website by Nigerians.

The data for February 2024, also indicated that three popular porn pages are among 10 most visited porn sites in Nigeria.

Similarly, StatiSense data from 2019 showed that Xvideos and Xnxx were among the 10 most visited websites in Nigeria.

However, Saturday PUNCH could neither independently verify if the users, visited the sites more than once nor confirm the demography of the site visitors.

A review of one of the sites reveals a vast collection of both short and long videos, organised into 60 major categories to cater to a diverse audience with various fetishes.

Some of these categories seen by our correspondent include solo, anal, teen, teacher, doctor, office, missionary, virgin, brunette and blonde.

Other categories which users were expected to select from were Asian, Black, Arab, Indian, African, Nigerian, Naija, cam porn, lesbian, gay, AI, hardcore, and incest.

The site also features hundreds of registered users from around the world who upload amateur explicit videos and photos to attract views and hookups.

Conversely, the site appears to integrate literary, visual and graphic porn to appeal to its visitors.

The site has a genre section, which includes diary, essay, fantasy, fiction, news, poems, sex jokes and a plethora of explicit videos with over 140 themes.

Some of the listed themes on the site indicate extreme and violent content such as horror, domination, bestiality, rape, torture, monster, prostitution, aliens and slavery.

The dark web

Findings by our correspondent revealed that many internet users, both single and married, usually access extreme porn and sexually deviant content through what has been called ‘the dark web.’

 It was gathered that links to the dark web are placed at reputable sites or they might be targeted at users of an age through spam emails, fake notifications, or misleading ads, who through a click are redirected to a site they never intended to visit.

 Shedding more light on how the underground web operates, an SEO and AI for business tech expert, Ndubuisi Ubani, explained that the dark web is sustained by blackmailers who use sex video leaks, sexual content creators and cybersex enthusiasts.

 He said, “Cybersex enthusiasts are those who request and are willing to pay for or fund sexual content online including child porn, bizarre and customised sex content, sex parties and orgies.

“You also have on the dark web people with alternative sex needs – people in relationships (including married folks) who engage in threesomes, partner swapping, polyamorous relationships, swingers, etc. The darker corner of the web contains porn sites, child pornography sites, human and drug trafficking sites, dark markets for illicit/counterfeit goods, community forums, etc.

“Though the dark web was once hidden, it’s now easily accessible through mainstream social and communication platforms due to mobile dominance, private and untracked communication as opposed to messing around in real life, where users can be caught in action or mocked by others.”

Explaining further, Ubani revealed that dark web contents like porn are not only consumed on mainstream porn sites but also on social and private messaging apps like Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, MonkeyApp, dating apps, video sharing and streaming sites, and AI apps capable of turning photos/videos into porn.

He pointed out that the porn ecosystem on the dark web is animated by people’s curiosity, escape from pressures of daily life such as marital problems, and exploration.

“Overall, the perceived discretion when using the dark web can be intoxicating, creating a false sense of safety. Over time, the hidden nature of these activities fuels addiction, making it harder to break free.”

Continuing, he said, “The more users indulge, the deeper they sink, isolating themselves in a shadowy world that promises pleasure but ultimately leaves them disconnected, vulnerable, and trapped in their private darkness.

“In the end, addiction to the dark web (porn) is a choice and a personal battle. While we can’t force anyone to change their habits, we can offer guidance and support. Ultimately, a combination of education, prevention, and treatment is essential in addressing this complex issue.”

‘Porn desensitises the brain’

The President, Association of Resident Doctors at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State, Dr Victor Essien, in a phone interview with Saturday PUNCH, highlighted the importance of recognising the complex interplay between watching pornography and its impact on the brain and behaviours of married men.

He said, “Recent studies suggest that excessive consumption of pornography can alter the brain’s reward circuitry, affecting emotional and relational well-being. One of the most significant effects of pornography on the brain is its ability to hijack the dopamine reward system.

 “Dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and motivation, is released during the viewing of sexually explicit material. Over time, the brain adapts to this heightened stimulation by desensitising, leading to a need for increasingly graphic or novel content to achieve the same level of arousal.

“This cycle can result in a diminished capacity for experiencing pleasure from everyday activities and can negatively affect a married man’s emotional and sexual connection with his spouse.”

Essien further explained that frequent pornography use could foster unrealistic expectations about sex and intimacy.

“The scripted and exaggerated nature of pornographic content often fails to align with the realities of a committed relationship, potentially leading to dissatisfaction and unrealistic comparisons. This can create a barrier to genuine intimacy and communication, as a man might find himself less present or engaged with his partner.

“Additionally, some men may experience guilt, shame, or anxiety related to their pornography consumption, which can strain marital relationships. Addressing these feelings through open communication and seeking professional help can be crucial in mitigating its adverse effects on marriage.

“While not all men will experience negative consequences from watching pornography, its potential impact on the brain and marital relationship warrants thoughtful consideration. By promoting open dialogue and understanding, couples can navigate these challenges together,” he added.

 Divorces, incest linked to porn addiction

Speaking with our correspondent, a cyber-safety advocate and publisher of Internet Safety Magazine, Rotimi Onadipe, noted some of the negative consequences of porn addiction, which he said include divorce, irresponsibility, sexual abuse and incest within the family.

He said, “Porn addiction can destroy marriages because the man no longer enjoys sex with his wife. When a married man is addicted to porn, he will also be addicted to masturbation and this will prevent him from enjoying the marriage again, because he doesn’t need to persuade the wife again. He’ll just lock himself up in a room or a private place to get sexually satisfied.

“Now, this repeats itself each time he has a sexual desire and if there’s no place for him to do this, he could sexually abuse someone around him, even if it’s his daughter. Such an addiction also makes men irresponsible in the home because they spend most of their time, energy, data subscription and money invested in porn and masturbation, leaving the major things they ought to do at home undone.

“In some homes, this addiction in fathers also affects the children. There have been cases of married men exposing their children to porn, either knowingly or unknowingly and this is where incest starts within the home because the children too begin to practice it within themselves.”

Onadipe advised that husbands and fathers addicted to porn should not keep silent due to shame but opt for professional counselling to be helped.

‘Porn addicts need therapy’

An addiction counsellor and founder of the David Folaranmi Foundation, David Folaranmi, in an interview with our correspondent, faulted the widely believed notion that marriage was the escape route from pornography addiction.

He said, “I once felt that way too but having counselled several married men who opened up to me about their continuous struggles with porn, I can categorically tell you that marriage isn’t the solution.”

Folaranmi explained that research had shown that frequent consumption of pornography could alter expectations about sex and intimacy, leading to dissatisfaction, strained relationships, decreased sexual satisfaction and emotional distance between spouses.

He added, “Men who use pornography as a coping mechanism might become less likely to engage in meaningful conversations about their sexual needs or concerns. Pornography can lead to infidelity. Often, men who consume pornographic content, tend to have multiple sexual partners.

“If you are struggling with pornography and you want to come out of it, then you must acknowledge the impact of pornography on your life. Reach out for professional support from therapists specialised in addiction.

“Study educational resources on pornography addiction; be accountable to your spouse; build an inner circle of people who understand what you are going through and be accountable to them; avoid being alone or in lonely places; and address any underlying issues – emotional or psychological. Understand your triggers and come up with coping mechanisms to break the craving cycle, and finally, pray about it.”

[Punch]

Last week, the world was going to end! Or so we thought. Why?

When the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Paris concluded without any of the 82 Nigerian athletes returning with a medal around their necks, Nigerians were infuriated. They reacted vehemently. It was as if the world was going to end.

The anger was founded. This agonising process has become a recurring decimal in Nigeria’s sports history, a phenomenon described as ‘insanity’ by late German physicist, Albert Einstein in a famous but unverified quote – ‘doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting a different result’.

The world did not end, even as the anger across Nigeria was palpable. The people bayed for blood, demanding the scalp of sports officials. The media was awash with criticism, condemnation, rebuke and abuse. I believe there were no street protests only because the people had just gone through another national protest over hunger and poverty in the land. That protest that hardly took off the ground and yielded nothing, only promises. Any additional march for sports in the land would suffer from protest-fatigue.

So, with tails tucked between the legs, Nigerians, as is wont, gave up the ‘fight’, retired into the cocoon of their other interests and allowed the world to go on jeje, any further attention for the Olympics left in ‘suspense-account’ till June of 2028, one month to the next Summer Olympics in Los Angeles beginning 14th July, 2028!

That’s the way things are done here in Nigeria!

That was the situation last week.

This week, the vitriol, awash in most local media, vaporised. The only noise was the faint receding echo of the voice of the very humble and honourable Nigerian sports minister, the only official that publicly accepted responsibility, defended his ministry, and apologised to Nigerians for the unacceptable performance. He pledged to investigate and uproot the causes, identify the culprits and ensure that the heads of guilty officials roll.

The only proviso, however, is that the country will have to wait, and that nothing must disturb and distract the other contingent of Nigerian athletes participating in the 2028 Paralympic Games that start in Paris this week.

This set of Nigerians are expected to win Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in their usual tradition and further douse the receding anger, pain and disappointment, even though it is also an optical illusion of the true state of Nigerian sports development.

So, life goes on, the world will not end!

The EPL resumes

This week, the English Premier League and other European leagues that started last week take firmer root in the soul of Nigerians. The debates and the arguments about Arsenal, Man U, Barca, Real, and so on, dominate the senses, extinguishing the remnant of any lingering thoughts and concerns over Paris 2024. The embers of that fire will only be fanned again and rekindled in 2028 in an annoying cycle that repeats itself like a broken vinyl record every 4 years.

In short, this week, life for the Nigerian sports fan has returned to the status quo, just as football resumes with its all-consuming power, taking over the sports interest of the millions of Nigerians that patronise it.

There are now other issues on Nigeria’s sports radar.

Foreign Coach for Super Eagles

It is a done deal that the Nigerian Football Federation have settled for hiring another White man from Europe to handle the Super Eagles. Some of those that are close to the corridors have been mentioning two names as the most likely candidates. Why the announcement has not been made within a few weeks to the most crucial series of matches that will determine the country’s fate in the African Cup of Nations in 2025, and the World Cup of 2026, no one knows.

A good reason may already have been created for the Super Eagles should they fail to win.

My personal position on the issue of foreign or indigenous coach for Nigeria’s national teams has not changed. Hiring a foreigner to handle the Super Eagles is just postponing Nigeria’s days in football slavery. Until Nigerians with qualification and experience are trusted and given the opportunity to do the job, to gain invaluable experience in the process and to lead the country into international battles, the Super Eagles will continue to find it hard to soar to the highest pinnacle.

The return of Samson Siasia!

He was once acknowledged as FIFA’s coach of the year. That was when he led Nigeria’s Under-20 to the finals of the World Youth Championship in 2005, the Under-23 national team to the finals of the Olympics in 2008, and a third-place at the Olympics in 2016.

In 2019, Samson Siasia was suspended by FIFA for 5 years following unsubstantiated charges of corruption against him.

Having served the suspension, he is now free to return to football. He may have been pencilled down as part of an interim consortium of coaches headed by Director of the Technical Department of the NFF, Austin Eguavoen, to handle the Super Eagles should a foreign coach not be hired in the next week.

That arrangement is laden with danger for Samson.

Should the team fail to win, his name will be added to those of other ‘failed’ Nigerian coaches and the door to a future as head of the Super Eagles will be slammed in his face.

Nigerians are waiting and watching the unfolding drama with interest!

Sports Federation Elections

The elections into national sports federations (with the exception of the Nigeria Football Federation) will likely take place before the end of the year.

Everybody accepts that the present federation constitutions fall short of what are in Nigeria’s best sports interests. The documents have suffered the doctoring of critical articles that render them partial to fair process and inclusiveness of all stakeholders. Best practises have been blurred by ignorance, the absence of experienced administrators in the system as a result of high turnover of experienced personnel in the sports ministry, and the lack of courage by successive sports ministers to confront the inter-loping puppeteers controlling the strings of Nigerian sports.

The Sports Minister has promised reforms.

Nigerians are waiting and watching to see what will happen.

The National Sports Festival!

Nigeria’s National Sports Festival is Africa’s biggest, single domestic multi-sports event. It is designed to feed Nigerian sports with the best budding talents in all sports. It is also the biggest program of the Federal Ministry of Sports development,

The next edition is scheduled to take place in about 6 months’ time in Ogun State.

With the developments on ground now, it will be the greatest miracle since the conversion of water to wine in the holy books should the festival hold next January.

Why? The answer is blowing in the wind.

Nigerians are, however, waiting and watching to see what will happen.

For a man who once vowed not to abide in Nigeria should Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerge as president of Nigeria it could have been tempting to discard the pledge by Chief Bode George not to serve in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Disciplinary Committee that was constituted by the national leadership earlier this week.

Just as the threat to relocate from Nigeria with the advent of the Tinubu administration, the pledge not to serve in the High Chief Tom Ikimi-led committee had sufficient reasoning, even if faulty.

As about one of the most vicious critics of the president who he regularly referred to as Bola or some other condescending names, it is now open to debate if Chief George really saw some truths that many of us did not see as concerning the capacity of the man that was adoringly referred to as the Pathfinder of good governance in Lagos.

His successor, Tunde Fashola was the Consolidator, and Akiwunmi Ambode was the Actualiser before he was blown away.

So, whether Bode George saw beneath the veneer of political erudition that Tinubu espoused in Lagos and the Southwest is now open to question.

However, his vow not to serve in the Disciplinary Committee recently empaneled by the Ambassador Umar Damagum-led National Working Committee, NWC of the party is another issue.

His reason was that Ikimi was his junior in the party and met him in the party having been the first elected National Vice-Chairman, Southwest of the PDP.

In an interview on Arise News Television on Friday, August 23, 2024, George who is generally reputed as a rich depository of the institution that is the PDP easily broke down the issues in the party that according to him project the twin moves of reconciliation and discipline as presently being out of place in the face of the internal dynamics in the PDP.

As he pointed out the crisis in the party that led to the humiliation in the 2023 General Election flowed from the management of the presidential primaries.

These problems that have now been generally summarized as the Nyesom Wike problem flow from the discourteous abandonment of the party’s principles and procedures leading to the emergence of the 2023 presidential candidate.

The stance of Chief George that the decision to go against the pattern of rotating all positions between the North and South every eight years is also widely held by many as the bane of the crisis in the PDP.

To the chagrin of many party stakeholders, the party after zoning the office of national chairman to the North failed to cede the presidential ticket to the South.

After eight years of the presidency in the North, the prospect of the presidency going to the same region for another eight years was one that was anathema to many of the stakeholders. Not least, Wike who contested the ticket with Atiku and former Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

As George said yesterday, the failure of the Northern chairman of the party, Senator Iyorcha Ayu to resign his position as promised to allow a Southerner take the position was seen as a serious snub of the South.

Unfortunately, Atiku who emerged as the presidential candidate was not proactive enough to persuade his ally, Ayu to step down.

Bode George did not say it yesterday, but it is generally known that a 20-man committee constituted by the party to find a running mate for Atiku after the presidential primaries recommended Wike by 17 votes. That recommendation was discarded after initial reports that emissaries of Atiku had offered him the position. The offer according to some sources was pulled back on the claim that Northern political leaders were not too comfortable having a personality like Wike so close to power.

However, few believe this given what is generally believed as the claim that even before the presidential primaries Atiku had already picked Senator Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

That relationship was underlined by the fact that PDP delegates from Delta State voted for Atiku at the convention with the conviction that their man was set to become vice president.

So against the background of the claims of Bode George and the perceived betrayals Wike suffered at the hands of the party, the determination of the FCT minister to destroy the party could well be understood. That is besides the enormous handouts given to the party since especially 2019 when Wike was known to have projected Tambuwal for the presidency.

When Tambuwal on the convention ground turned his delegates to Atiku, it was seen as the ultimate betrayal.

As it is said, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, so when Chief George implied the scorning of Wike and some other stakeholders one could well imagine the crisis the PDP is facing.

Even more, the party named a disciplinary committee that has two Atiku allies, Chief Tom Ikimi and Eyitayo Jegede as chairman and secretary. That certainly does not show the kind of sincerity that is expected of a party committed to correcting the errors that led it to the pit.

However, whether the betrayals are enough reasons for Wike to sink the party he this week vowed not to defect from is another matter. Better ask a woman who loved a man who has been scorned.

PDP’s candidate in last year’s Kogi governorship election, Dino Melaye has accused the party’s leadership of destroying it beyond redemption.

Specifically, he accused acting national chairman, Umar Iliya Damagum, national secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, and national organising secretary, Umar Bature, of being behind the bad fortunes of the party.

Melaye who was also a member of the National Assembly has kept a low profile since his loss and refused to challenge the outcome in court.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, he wrote, “End of the road for PDP as Damagun, Bature, and Anyanwu irredeemably destroyed the party. We will talk about the commercialisation and privatisation of PDP. PDP is now once upon a time.”

Melaye’s comment follows an allegation by PDP lawmakers in the House of Representatives against Damagum and Anyanwu.

The spokesperson and member of the House of Representatives representing Ideato Federal Constituency, Ikenga Ugochinyere, had listed some events which he said were a calculated attempt by Damagum and Anyanwu to weaken the PDP.

The lawmakers alleged that the party leaders were plotting to sabotage the PDP by aiding defected former members of the Rivers State House of Assembly with legal backing.

According to them, this was an attempt to impeach the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara out of office.

Damagum replied to the allegation, warning that nobody could intimidate him into resigning from his position.

[Vanguard]