-Deborah Akinyosoye
Despite Nigeria’s deeply conservative and religious fabric, where sex is often a hushed topic, the sex toy industry is booming — and dildos are flying off the shelves, reflecting a surprising surge in this unconventional market as more citizens boldly embrace erotic pleasures amid economic hardships.
Findings revwaled that many married women and ladies in relationships use sex toys such as dildos to satisfy themselves.
Single ladies who have been jilted by men or have not yet found a man to warm their beds also use artificial penises to pleasure themselves.
“It’s safer to use dildos than to sleep around and get infected with venereal diseases. I would rather pleasure myself with dildos than allow men to lie to me, cheat on me, and break my heart like they like to do,” a lady opined.
Dildo varieties
Dildos are adult sex aids that are often used to attain sexual climax for women and also for men.
“While they are sometimes meant to feel like a penis, they don’t have to look like one. They come in different materials, shapes, and sizes. Some dildos are curved to stimulate the prostate or G-spot,” according to WebMD.
Search on the internet revealed that there are different kinds of dildos based on their structure or designs.
Some dildos are made to look like a penis with testicles while some are made to be strapped on with a harness.
Some dildos are made with a suction base to adhere to a surface, others vibrate to stimulate the user while some, known as double-sided dildos, are designed for two partners to use at once.
The materials with which these dildos are made also vary. There are glass, silicon, rubber, plastic and wooden dildos, some of which are also sold by traditional herb vendors.
A booming business
In the conservative Nigerian society where an open discussion of sexual issues is often frowned upon, checks by our correspondent revealed that some vendors are heavily patronised and make millions of naira from sex gadgets.
Although frowned upon by Christianity and Islam, many patrons, both online and offline, frequently patronise adult entertainment stores to make up for what is missing in their bedrooms.
Sandra, a sex aid vendor whose store is located in Lekki, told media outfit that dildo prices vary based on their sizes, colours and structures.
“The cheapest we have is N11,000 and that is for size 7. We also have size 10 which is N50,000. We have the one made with silicon, N85,000 and strap-on, N25,000.
“The bigger the size and the more realistic the dildo is, the more expensive it is. We have a strap-on dildo that uses a remote control also. That one is N40,000 and we get good patronage on all our products,” Sandra said.
Another vendor in Surulere who gave her name simply as Faith, noted that although there are still some states where sex toys are sold “under the counter,” they have many clients from across the social strata.
“I won’t give a specific figure, but we rake in millions of naira in an average of six months, give or take. We get both male and female customers across different social classes, ethnicities and religions. We don’t discriminate.
“Our products are mostly imported and their prices have risen over the last year due to the forex issues, but yet people still contact us daily for their needs,” Faith disclosed.
An estimate by Statistic “the global sex toy market is expected to grow steadily between 2019 and 2026, from approximately $27.17 billion to around $52.7 billion in that period, reaching a value of $80.7 billion by 2030.”
A 2022 survey in the US revealed that approximately 82 per cent of female consumers own some form of sex toys. Additionally, the findings indicated that these toys are most prevalent among individuals aged 25 to 29.
In a video which went viral in February 2022, a lady in Warri, Delta State, expressed astonishment after she found out that a shop which had restocked about 7,000 dildos of different kinds, sold them out within three days.
“They carry 7,000 dildos, different sizes: long, medium and small. They stocked the dildos at the woman shop on Friday and by Monday, we reached there, that place don empty. Who buy them? Who buy the dildos, na mama Destiny?” the woman told some men in Pidgin English.
Pros and cons
A healthcare practitioner, James Lekwauwa, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, explained that dildos provide new and different sensations and offer experiences that manual stimulation alone may not achieve.
He further stated some sexual medicine experts have recommended sex toys as part of therapy.
“Sex toys are not high maintenance and only need a battery change. They are generally not harmful as long as you make sure they are properly cleaned, used for the intended activities and are also the right size for you,” Lekwauwa added.
However, he disclosed that sharing sex toys can spread sexually transmitted infections and advised that “it’s best used by the owner and not to be shared.”
“Furthermore, if you use a dildo that is too big or goes too hard, it might hurt. Always make sure to take it slow and see what feels right. Its psychological effect is that over-reliance on dildos might make it somewhat difficult to enjoy sex without them.
“There is another urban myth that if a sex toy is made with a platinum-grade material, it won’t harm. This is a myth that is often perpetrated,” he noted.
Also commenting on the negative side effects of the use of sex toys, a mental health expert, Kelechi Okwaraji, stated that over users may not feel encouraged to socialise with other people because they have the option to fall back on.
“They tend to give users an unrealistic expectation of partner-to-partner sex. Some of these sex toys are powered by batteries and can last longer and faster than a human male. Once the mind gets used to this, it can make natural intercourse pale out.”
Experts urge caution
On her part, a psychologist, Olubunmi Onipede, explained that she did not personally buy the idea of the use of sex toys due to their nature of disrupting social interactions.
“I need to let people understand that sex toys make people feel anxious, asocial, and even terrified to go back and be amongst people later on. It affects social relations and it also leaves certain consequences on sex life.
“As much as people enjoy these items, it is a medium-risk activity for most sexually transmitted infections if you share them with a partner. Its prolonged use also damages the skin.”
While noting the social stigma attached to the use of dildos, Onipede further explained that a lot of dildos and other penetrative toys might be harmful to human health.
“They are made from rubbers and plastics which may be harmful to human health. Bacteria can grow in there, and they might never be fully sanitised. Toys that contact other people’s fluids are inherently unsafe,” she added.
Responding to questions about the dangers sex toys could pose to the human body system, Ajidahun, in a post shared on his X account in November last year, warned that a research study indicated that certain harmful particles are present on the materials used.
“Amongst the materials that were noted to have come from the friction of the toys were small particles known as ‘Micro and Nano plastics.’
“A critical analysis showed one in particular ‘Phthalates’ which is a known substance that has the potential to disrupt the organ in our body called the pancreas which produces insulin which can increase the risk of diabetes.
“They also noted that some of these particles had great potential to cause damage to our nerve cells increasing the risk of brain damage. Since this study might not be fully representative, it linked the risks and made recommendations for more research to be done to understand more,” he wrote
