Nigeria is fast losing its moral compass. What was once sacred — love, marriage, and human intimacy — has now been commercialized, commodified, and corrupted. We live in a society where transactional relationships, marriages of convenience, and survival unions have replaced genuine affection and true companionship. What should be the most natural human connection has been reduced to a bargaining table.

A recent survey revealed that Lagos men spent ₦661 billion on sex workers in 2024 alone. Think about that. That’s not small money. That’s a national budget for some countries. This staggering statistic reflects a society where intimacy has been reduced to a cash exchange. Where men no longer seek emotional bonds but transactions, and women — in turn — increasingly approach relationships as economic arrangements.

It is not love. It is not partnership. It is business.

Look around: how many weddings are truly about love anymore? Many unions today are survival strategies — a young lady marrying a wealthy older man not because of affection but because of what she stands to gain financially. Men, on the other hand, pursue women not out of genuine admiration but for what they can extract — beauty, social status, or sexual gratification.

When two people come together with the primary aim of “what can I get” instead of “what can I give,” the result is a weak foundation. No wonder divorce rates are climbing, infidelity is rampant, and homes are breaking apart. A nation with broken homes is a broken nation.

Our society has glamorized “soft life” to the point where genuine love looks foolish. A man is judged not by his character, values, or vision but by the size of his wallet. A woman is judged not by her kindness, loyalty, or wisdom but by how well she can flaunt her beauty to attract “investors.”

This rot is not just among the poor; even the middle class and elites are drowning in it. We have raised a generation that believes everything has a price tag. And when love becomes a product for sale, the soul of society is lost.

The ₦661 billion Lagos men wasted on sex workers in 2024 could have been invested in startups, education, agriculture, or healthcare. Imagine how many jobs could have been created. Imagine the roads, schools, and hospitals that could have been built. But instead, we are bleeding resources into emptiness because people are chasing a hollow idea of intimacy.

And yet, the emotional cost is worse than the financial cost. Children are growing up in homes where parents are strangers. Young men and women are losing faith in genuine relationships. Depression, loneliness, and distrust are on the rise. A society that cannot sustain healthy families cannot build a healthy nation.

Enough is enough. Nigeria needs Reformers — men and women who will fight against this madness. We need to restore dignity to marriage, authenticity to relationships, and value to human connection.

• We need to teach young people that love is more than money.

• We need to redefine marriage as a union built on vision, sacrifice, and partnership — not an escape route or a survival strategy.

• We need cultural reformers who will challenge toxic music, movies, and social media narratives that glorify transactional love.

• We need economic reform so that young women don’t see relationships as their only pathway out of poverty.

Nigeria cannot move forward if her people continue to mortgage affection for cash. If we continue this way, the next generation will grow up in a wasteland of broken homes, trustless marriages, and an empty pursuit of pleasure.

This is not just about sex, love, or marriage. It is about the very soul of our nation. And unless the Reformers rise, we will watch Nigeria drown in its dysfunction.