The harsh economic realities of today are forcing many Nigerians into engaging in all kinds of activities to put food on the table, irrespective of the risks that may be involved.
With white collar jobs getting increasingly difficult to come by, any available 'job' appears to be worth doing as long as it fetches some money to take care of daily needs. So it is the case for an army of youths in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, who have found a rewarding trade in marketing aphrodisiacs.
You would think they are advertising GSM recharge cards when you hear "Oga recharge." You take a second look at the fellow standing before you and realise that he is not displaying any recharge card.
What is he recharging? Oh, our man is marketing aphrodisiacs! Aphrodisiacs are drugs meant to 'power' the male libido (simply put, to enhance sexual performance).
The online encyclopedia, Wikipedia, defines an aphrodisiac as a "substance that increases sexual desire."
Burantashi (literally "penis get up") is a native Hausa-Fulani powder derived from the bark of the African tree Pausinystalia yohimbe.
Burantashi is used as a food additive to barbecued meat (suya) in Nigeria, especially the Northern parts. It is claimed to have aphrodisiac and penile-erection enhancing properties.
Another common aphrodisiac is called Paraga usually used by people from the south and mixed with alocohlic Gin drinks and other herbs like indian hemp or marijuana.
The name is derived from Aphrodite, "the Greek goddess of sensuality and love." For instance, the online website mentions one of the drugs identified by modern medicine as an aphrodisiac which serves the purpose earlier highlighted.
"Throughout history, many foods, drinks, and behaviours have had a reputation for making sex more attainable and/or pleasurable.
"However, from a historical and scientific standpoint, the alleged results may have been mainly due to mere belief by their users that they would be effective," it notes.
In Abuja, there is a boom in the sale of aphrodisiacs, propelled by hawkers, mainly males. They are everywhere -in the traffic, pubs, gardens, shopping centres, government office premises, car parks, around religious buildings and more.
The drugs sold in Abuja by these hawkers are mostly of Asian origin, particularly China.
However, there are other local, "made in Nigeria" concoctions, powdery substances and roots that are marketed by our sex "experts."
With a tongue as sharp, convincing and entertaining as that of a parrot, our buran tashi (a substance capable of stimulating the male organ) sellers somehow hoodwink their potential clients into buying large quantities of the drugs.
They use all tricks in the book, including working on the psychology of a client. They know that a lot of people will usually not like to be seen discussing sex publicly, let alone buying performance enhancing drugs in the open.
So, a hawker walks close to a potential client (e.g. while trying to park his car) and announces 'recharge' in a low tone.
Just as he makes a mental calculation of what our hawker is saying, the latter switches swiftly to sign language. With a clenched fist, he lifts his hand up and down (suggesting a nodding male organ), adding with a grin, "Power; e dey give power!"
Grateful that the client is the listening type, he launches into an advertisement of all manner of drugs usually packed in a small bag, swearing by his grandfather's grave that they can perform wonders.
"You see this one (some powdery substance); just mix it with Akamu (pap) or tea and drink it. Try it and you will ask for it again.
"I have another one; this one is like power horse, very strong, very powerful medicine. Which one will you pick? He goes on and on.
While some people diplomatically ignore the hawkers, there are those who buy a few of the drugs.
Hawkers who hang around relaxation spots in the city are well aware of the effect of alcohol on the human brain.
Alcohol effect can come in form of a consumer displaying unusual excitement and the hawkers just calculate that he is likely to listen to sexual communication.
One of them, Isa Rabe, plies his trade between the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority and a popular eatery in Area 11, Garki, in the city centre.
Rabe claims that his clients include a long list of senior civil servants, politicians, law enforcement agents and commercial motorists.
He vouches for the efficacy of his products, which he claims act like intoxicants on users.
"I have been selling these medicines since 2001 and the market is good; I sell up to 13 packets of different brands on a good day.
"But, weekends, especially Friday evenings and Saturdays, are our best market days.
"A lot of merriment takes place during the weekends and the desire to 'relax' increases on such days," Rabe says.
Getting people who had taken these drugs to share their experiences was tasking, but a motorist, Adamu Silas, claimed that those who took the substances gave conflicting accounts of their effect.
"I know someone who takes one of the medicines and he says that it has been boosting his sex life.
"Some will tell you that it is all lies because you don't know whether it is the drug that is working or you are just yourself", Silas says.
One anonymous respondent tells this reporter that he once took a particular root sold to him by a hawker and it "acted well on my system."
"There are so many fake products out there and you have to be careful about what you buy or take the risk of administering on yourself," the respondent states.
Health experts however warn about the dangers in buying drugs from roadside hawkers.
A Garki-based medical doctor, Dr. Daniel Yakubu, says that many people endanger their lives by patronising hawkers in the belief they have "wonder drugs."
He says, "Anybody who buys any drug or engages in self-medication without proper medical advice is abusing the drug.
"The danger is that you risk your life; some drugs cannot be prescribed unless a patient is certified to be under certain condition.
"You need to examine the patient; conduct tests and be well aware of the medical history before drugs are recommended."
He adds that those marketing aphrodisiacs and other drugs in Abuja may be illiterate or barely literate people "who know next to nothing about the chemical components of the drugs they sell to you."
"Are these the people any sensible person will rely on for a supposed cure? When were these drugs manufactured? What is their expiry date; what is the condition under which a patient can be administered such dugs?
"These are all questions that the hawker by the roadside may not be in a position to answer," Yakubu says.
Officials of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control have had running battles with some of these hawkers in the city but they always find a way of selling the drugs.
For visitors to Abuja, "recharge" may not mean GSM recharge cards; ask if in doubt.If you want to sleep well tonight dont bother to buy remember the "man" from birnin kebbi Dauda the sexy guy who took an aphrodisiac and was known to have spent a whole week with his you know what on full recharge post paid ! Have a lovely weekend !
