Death is Not an Option

Ibim Semenitari/

Earlier today there was a report of two ladies killed at a hotel in Peter Odili area of Port Harcourt, Rivers State. These ladies were waitresses and were responding to room service calls. Their death in a gruesome manner is heart rending and diminishes us all.

In the last couple of weeks, Port Harcourt, has witnessed serial murders of young women in hotel rooms and at no time has patriarchy been more at its peak. Of course as is expected, Nigeria’s moral police, all of whom have gaping clinks in their armour have announced to us that “prostitution is no option.” Were it not so laughable I might have asked, option to what? Freewill sperm donation?

It is the height of insensitivity to walk over the dead bodies of any human painting it with a slur brush and shaming the dead. As fate will have it more recent narratives have suggested that these ladies may just be innocent and unfortunate victims. But no. Something about our society has decided that slut shaming women is the only way people get their fix.

Rather than focus on finding the killers, the police (known I suppose for their high moral rectitude) sermonise telling us to please advice our daughters not to go to hotels. It may actually turn out to be funny. Just maybe. I started my professional life as a 21 year old in Lagos. As a reporter I pounded the streets at night and far into the wee hours of the morning. I was in hotels, bars, night clubs as part of my job. Whenever I travelled out of town I stayed in hotels and if I covered an assignment very late and couldn’t get home I slept in a hotel. As a cub reporter, my take home was barely anything so I didn’t sleep in the most fancy of hotels.

But as a young girl, I also had a right to decide that i wanted to give myself a treat now and again, and I recall that our trio of Ibim Toby, Joy Ege and Eki Gbinigie would do the jazz club rounds from Jazz et al on Allen, Jazzville in Yaba and Jazz 38 on Awolowo road Ikoyi, then maybe on a good day, back to nightshift for a good girls nights out. we no send and we no owe. I guess we deserved to die for living life going by the myriad of unsolicited advice whited sepulchres are giving dead victims.

The point is that young girls are being killed. young girls with a bright future. young girls who are struggling to eke out a living. Young girls who just want to survive. Young girls who didn’t realise that the city they had grown up in, known, loved and felt safe in had suddenly turned on them. How were they to know that the slide was so bad and everything had gone to the dogs?

But here is the real story. This is how it starts, then it spreads. If we do not nip this in the bud and cage this monster now, it will spread and other cities will begin to feel this kiss of death. This isn’t a threat. It is the reality that we have come to see in Nigeria. Remember when kidnapping started in the Niger Delta? we assumed it was “their” problem. Today we see that it is “our” problem.

On Wednesday (tomorrow), women, men, young people and old will go on a peaceful march to demand action. This is not just an early morning work out or like my sister Julia says “a nice Wednesday morning walk”. This is about our lives, our safety and our city. If you live, work, do business or are associated with Port Harcourt, then join us and let us demand for action from those whose job it is to keep us safe. Time: 7am. Starting Point: NUJ Press centre.

Mrs. Semenitari was former Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission.

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