Sexual Economy: The Growing Trend of Male Street OS Hustlers in Abuja - Men for Hire [an Exposé]

 

Along the dimly lit stretch of a popular road in Abuja’s Wuse District, a quiet but telling scene unfolds almost every night. Tall, lean silhouettes of young men hover on sidewalks, not to catch a taxi or wait for friends, but for something altogether different: wealthy, often older, women on the prowl. These men, impeccably dressed in fitted shirts and denim jeans or joggers, don’t carry briefcases — their currency is charm, youth, and the ability to satisfy a demographic that has long remained in the shadows of Nigeria's social conversation.

This curious phenomenon, while not entirely new, has recently become harder to ignore. Traditionally associated with women, street-based sex work now appears to have entered a new chapter, where gender roles are reversed and the expectations flipped. On certain nights, it’s not uncommon to see sleek SUVs slowing to a crawl, a tinted window winding down halfway before a brief conversation leads to a car door swinging open — a silent transaction sealed without a word being said too loudly.

Eyewitness accounts and hushed conversations with some of these men paint a picture of economic desperation, social evolution, and shifting power dynamics. For 27-year-old “Tayo” (not his real name), standing by the road is less about shame and more about survival. “Things are hard,” he says flatly. “I tried working security, even tried POS business. Nothing worked. But this... this pays.”

What’s most surprising isn’t the existence of this practice, but the clientele. Many of these women are said to be single, divorced, or high-earning professionals who prefer discreet arrangements that don’t come with the strings of emotional commitment. There’s an unspoken rule of confidentiality on both sides — an understanding forged by necessity, not sentiment.

An older woman spotted one evening behind the wheel of a luxury SUV, her face obscured by oversized sunglasses, offered a sharp response when asked about the situation. “Why are people acting like women don’t have needs too?” she snapped. “It’s only a problem when we’re the ones choosing.”

Conversations with local business owners near the hotspots reveal a mix of amusement, discomfort, and quiet resignation. A kiosk operator close to one such location chuckled as he recounted watching the men “compete” in subtle ways — brushing their hair more often, flexing arms when a flashy car passes, or adjusting their belt in mock confidence. “Na men dey do runs now. Tables don turn,” he said with a shake of his head.

The police, for their part, remain mostly indifferent. Unlike their aggressive tactics toward female sex workers, there seems to be a blind eye turned to these male hustlers. Whether this is due to the discreetness of the exchange or societal double standards remains open to speculation. “We no dey disturb men,” one officer allegedly remarked off the record. “Na the women dey look for them.”

Sexual economy is often a reflection of broader socio-economic trends. With Nigeria facing high unemployment, inflation, and a cost of living crisis, especially among youth, unconventional means of earning income become more tempting. For some of these men, it’s less about libido and more about livelihood.

Still, not all are drawn to it out of hardship. A few see it as a lifestyle. “These women take care of you,” another participant, who introduced himself as Bayo, explained. “They give you money, gifts, sometimes pay rent. You just have to be good company, in and out of bed.”

For a society where masculinity is still tightly boxed into provider roles, the emergence of this kind of transactional masculinity poses difficult questions. What happens when young men begin to commodify their bodies in the way women have long been judged for? Can a man be both objectified and respected? And does anyone — male or female — ever truly win in the age-old exchange of flesh for favor?

Whatever the answers may be, one thing remains clear: beneath Abuja’s cosmopolitan surface lies a world of quiet reversals, where the night air carries more than just whispers — it holds secrets that reflect the pulse of a changing society.