More Nigerian ladies now embrace striptease as profession —Entertainer

AT times I make N100,000 in a day, and I am not a prostitute. I enjoy what I do. I only show my body, I don’t sell it.”

Those were the words of a 23-year-old undergraduate, Joy, who works as a stripper in Lagos.

The young lady, while giving details of her profession, hinted that she started stripping after coming to Lagos from Owerri and picking up work as a server at a popular hangout in Opebi, Lagos.

She said what she was making as a bar tender was not enough to take care of her needs and so she met a club manager who introduced her to his club where she learnt she would join others to serve drinks clad in just her panties and bra.

She said the payment was not bad and it was from there that she started stripping, but everything changed during the lockdown. “We would be invited to private parties and they paid us handsomely. There was a night I went home with N150,000. Now I am a part-time student in LASU. I own a self-contained apartment and I even send money home to my mum,” she said in an excited tone that justified her striptease job.

Nude dancing/stripping has become popular in hangouts and nightclubs all over Nigeria. In Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, Akure, Port Harcourt and other major cities, nude dancing is like an icing on the entertainment cake. It is fun, wild and crazy and a means to draw more patrons and make more money.

The Chief Executive Officer of Pivotal Entertainment, Akintayo Akinade, reasoned that “stripping is a profession and not madness.”

The young man, who plans house parties across the cities, disclosed that payment ranges from N40,000 to N70,000, depending on the stature of the strippers and freshness of their skin.

He said most nightclubs used to “import” strippers from different African countries, but now Nigerian ladies have understood the concept and things are much easier than they used to be.

He also hinted that as a promoter, you have to operate a code of discretion as a stripper could be someone you know, your neighbour’s daughter or a girl from your church. But you need to maintain professionalism or else you lose money.

When asked if strippers are permitted to have sex with patrons, he said it is all about agreement. He said the most challenging part of the business is ensuring that the strippers are treated with dignity. He said it is important to always be at the scene when your strippers are performing and extend the engagement strictly to mature people.

You might be wondering what the fun is watching a woman dance and strip. This writer’s first experience at a strip club in Lagos was not too interesting. A fight broke out between a patron and a stripper. All hell was let loose and the security was called in and the club was shut, ending an evening that was supposed to be a fun-filled one.

A female respondent, incidentally a psychologist, who preferred to go by just Adefunke, had a different opinion about stripping. She said “it is degrading and un-African.” Asked how much she would like to be paid to dance nude, she replied, “I can’t even agree to stripping for my husband, not to talk of going naked before strangers.”

The stripping fun is not limited to singles and young people alone, adults and married couples are seen at strip joints while the rich plan their private strip parties to escape prying gazes.

A realtor in Lagos who wanted to be identified simply as Sarah said she enjoyed everything about striptease. She said: “I frequently visit strip joints with my boyfriend and I get aroused with the tease – the touch of the bums and spraying money on the stripper’s butt.”

According to history, the origin of striptease as a performance art is disputed and various dates and occasions have been given from ancient Babylonia to 20th century America.  It is on record that the term ‘striptease’ was first used in 1932.

There is also a stripping aspect in the ancient Sumerian myth of the descent of the goddess Inanna who was said to have removed an article of clothing and jewelry when she danced.

The Bible is also claimed to have recorded a certain dance on the birthday of King Herod when the daughter of Herodias came in, danced and pleased the King and his dinner guests. (Mark 6: 21-22).

The erotic practice is believed to be as old as time, judging by ancient revelations and current happenings.

How strip dance entered Nigeria?

Strip dance in Nigeria was said to be common among people who came from abroad as it was already a popular entertainment practice in the western world. The show was usually limited to a certain number and special occasions featuring between five and 10 persons before it became a vital aspect of entertainment.

Mr Tony Ojo used to operate the defunct Club Unique in Ikeja, Lagos. He said he started a strip club in Nigeria to prevent well-placed Nigerians from travelling abroad to patronise strip clubs. He boasted that he went to Europe and brought a model of international standard, but sadly the business went down as a result of constant raids by security operatives.

Ojo claimed that many people in Nigeria have a wrong perception about striptease. He said: “It is not an unholy practice as long as underage girls are not used. Also, most of the dancers visited the club and indicated their interest in nude dancing.”

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