Lagos is home to a lot, including businesses that will make the jaws of a newcomer drop. One of such involves business transactions involving the male sperm as an item of trade. SATURDAY TRIBUNE’s SUBAIR MOHAMMED, SEGUN KASALI and SEGUN ILARA report their findings about this unique trading.
As the economic hardship bites harder, hard-hit residents of Lagos State are getting more creative and desperate to make ends meet, including involving in businesses which aren’t illegitimate but appear extreme to some and considered morally and spiritually- inappropriate by some.
While some take up menial jobs considered to be beneath their social status and academic qualification, there are graduates who take to selling consumables like pepper. There are others as revealed by a survey conducted by Saturday Tribune, who are now taking financial refuge in selling their semen.
Though the practice isn’t new, but the latest discovery appears more like everyday merchandizing than the goodwill donation of the recent past, which though still attracted financial gift, but not in the mode of buying and selling that it is today.
Across Lagos state, semen centres are visibly open for willing patrons. Patrons are reportedly mainly recruited from the student population and among men who are finding it hard to cope with current economic difficulties.
to donate his semen rather than sell it for a price.
He said, “I cannot encourage any man to give his sperm out for money. I would prefer to donate to a woman who is childless to help her start a family. This is rewarding than earning money from it.
“But I would say it is dangerous to receive or donate semen because you don’t know the character of the donor. If he is an armed robber or someone with wicked act, that behaviour is what the donated child will cultivate. I just don’t encourage it.
“There is a man for every woman and a child or more for every man and woman therefore the Bible rejects such an act as selling or donating your semen.”
Ritual fears
A student at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, (LASUTech), Solebo, despite his financial difficulties, says selling his semen is never an option.
He told Saturday Tribune, he had encountered those were in the habit but would never sell or donate his sperm for any purposes.
He said, “Since I got admitted into this institution, I have never had enough in terms of money.
“My parents are struggling to make ends meet but then that is not enough reason for me to go into shady dealings or soil my hands in acts that would bring disrepute to my parents’ names. I have lot of issues to sort, but selling my semen is out of it.
“What if it falls into a wrong hand? What if they end up using my semen as ritual ingredient? There are lots of things that are associated with semen sales and donation. What if I am destined to have just one child and that child I have sold for a little amount of money and I would end up becoming childless,” he asked rhetorically.
Solape is a Lagos-based businessman that is passionate about making money through legitimate means. When asked about his opinion on semen sales, he said, “Such is not part of our culture and should be disregarded. It is a strange culture and we should not condone it even at the instance of any issue.
“Our culture frowns at it. I know people are doing it and there are semen centres across the state but then, it comes with some socio-cultural violations. It does not define who we are as Yoruba but people do it.”
Contrary to the opinion of Solape, Shola (surname withheld)said as long as it does not require blood spilling, he is good to go.
He said, “What I cannot do in my life is to spill the blood of another human being. This is legit. The product is from me so I should be able to give it out, earn some money to put food on my table.
“The financial situation in the country is unbecoming, and most people feed from hand to mouth. The search for source of income is not stopping; hence, the reason to want to take on any opportunity.
“A hungry man is an angry man and would do whatever it takes, so far it is legal, to make both ends meet.” – NIGERIAN TRIBUNE