I've been to Onitsha main market so many times, and so much has been said already, a number of ladies have narrated their stories over the past couple of days, so I will spare you the details of my own ugly experiences.
The last time I was in Nigeria, I had to pay someone 5 thousand naira (plus transport and feeding for the day) to go to Onitsha market for me.
I live only less than an hour drive to the market, so why didn't I go myself?
I was tired of being touched by some dirty idio0tic Igbo pigs who have no brain tissues in their skulls and who have adopted $€×ual, physical and psychological ass*aults as their methods of marketing.
The thing about stereotypes is that although they are usually cases of using a brush to paint everyone; they are usually NOT entirely false. They usually contain a high percentage of truth, either currently or historically.
It is very sad what our women have been going through in the markets. I believe that it is a problem that should be tackled on multiple fronts. Maybe a social media, Blog campaign should be launched in order to alert people of the problem and also to raise volunteers who can help in the struggle.
Also those with connections in TV and newspapers houses (like me) should talk to their friends so that stories can be done on the issue. The government, heads of market associations, and police chiefs should also be alerted about the problem. Those men that do such things should also be educated about the negative impacts of their actions on the society, people, and even their own families.
One fact we shouldn't deny is that when it comes to harassing ladies in the market places, Igbo men are the most culpable in Nigeria. I do NOT understand why anyone with a brain who has been to a Nigerian market will deny or even make any attempt to argue this.
These ladies are speaking up about their ugly experiences with Igbo market men, and rather than sympathize and/or find a way to put an end to this trend (if you can), you are turning it against them and some demented idi0ts are even trying to blame them for their ordeals.
The average Igbo man in a Nigerian market has a perverted method of marketing. They put people under duress and undue pressure just to sell their products, and a vast majority of their victims are women. This is not Igbo bashing, neither is it a gender war, it is a problem we have to face, come to terms with its existence and start thinking of pragmatic ways to put an end to it.
Most of the women that have spoken up are even Igbo women themselves.
One of the first steps of tackling a social deviant behavior is by recognizing it for what it is and accepting the bare facts around it.
When we say majority of terrorists sects in Nigeria are Northerners and aligned to a particular religion, it may come across as stereotype, but it is an obvious fact drawn from empirical and anecdotal evidences.
Likewise, it's same as saying majority of those marketers who harass women in Nigerian markets are Igbos. We are NOT saying other tribes are innocent of this act, just like there might be a boko haram member who is neither from Northern Nigeria nor Muslim. We are only saying that MAJORITY of them are Igbos.
I am one person who has suddenly developed a phobia for Nigerian markets. I dread it, so much that I now pay people to do the job for me. I can't stand being touched by strangers. I can't stand being grabbed by a dirty pervert. I just can't go through this over and over and over again.
But....
There are ladies who do not have options like I do. They do not have spare money to pay people to go to the market for them. They have to go through the pains and fears of being constantly harassed just for stepping into the markets. These ladies need to be listened to, heard, and something needs to be done.
There's a serious problem with a society where females cannot go into markets to purchase the things they need without the fear of all sorts of harassments. Sweeping these testimonies off as just mere unproven rants is the height of insensitivity and intellectual dishonesty.
Playing the tribal card, writing about how men or people of other tribes have harassed you and mourning about generalizations are just flimsy and r*u*de digressions to this serious issue that has been raised. This mess has to stop! We must think up ways to put an end to this!
Peaceful protests might also be an option. Maybe an umbrella organization or movement similar to "bring back our girls" can be started to encompass all these activities. I also volunteer for FREE, my services as a professional photographer and videographer to help in the coverage of the events.
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