Entertainment
Aristo Business Suffers Decline In PH …As Fear Of Ebola Grips Customers
Aristo or ‘Runs’ busi-
ness means hustling for money from men in exchange for sex. This practice is common among young girls in higher institutions of learning and other classes of beautiful ladies of easy virtue. The common places this inglorious trade thrives are the campuses, hotels, strip clubs and other entertainment hangouts.
In a recent interview with The Tide Entertainment, one of the ‘Aristo’ babies who spoke under anonymity, said it is no longer good business as it used to be since the outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus which they said is now in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
She lamented that because of the fear of contacting the killer virus, their customers who are mostly big boys and sugar daddies now avoid them like plagues. She said even though the virus is not known to be transmitted through sex, they are still weary of the situation.
According to her, most of them who engage in the sex trade are students in higher institutions of learning and they do not engage in the ‘Runs’ business for fun, but to raise money for their handouts, school fees and levies as well as to take care of their basic necessities, because most of their parents are poor, even their so called boyfriends cannot provide everything for them, so they use what they have to get what they need. She further disclosed that, the other girls that are involved in the business do it to get money to take care of their basic needs as girls, since they cannot secure a decent job.
Our investigations revealed that in the campuses where the ‘Runs’ business thrives most, they have pimps whose modus operandi is to arrange the girls for the prospective customers on commission basis, most times they arrange the girls for big parties in town on a higher commission. They also engage in in-house delivery of the girls to money bags who would not like to be seen in public with the Aristos, and they pay heavily for the services of the pimps.
Apart from the campuses, the Aristos business also thrives in choice areas of the Garden City such as the highbrow GRA axis where you have a good number of prestigious hotels, exotic strip clubs and world class entertainment hangouts, popular among which is the Casablanca. Others include the Boomarang nite club Rumuogba, Fabulous nite club and Buguma lodge around the Mile I Diobu axis.
There are also the notorious Azikiwe Street which activities could be likened to “Sodom and Gomorrah” around the Mile 2 Diobu, Port Harcourt, Orka beak night club close to the Mopol 19 Barracks, Mr. D Plaza D/Line, Hotel Presidential/Rumuola Junction where ‘cash and carry’ business thrives, Royal Afrique nite club, Rumuokwurusi as well as other hot spots in Aggrey Road, Victoria Street and the Borokiri axis of the old Port Harcourt Township, including Rukpokwu town and its environs among others.
Fun lovers storm these entertainment – enclaves mostly on Wednesdays, Fridays through Sundays to relax, dance, wine and dine as well as patronise these beautiful young girls who hang around looking for who will hire their services either for the whole night, short time or just for a quickie, each of these services has a price tag.
It was gathered that the tempo of the sex trade has reduced drastically as the Aristos and the operators of these entertainment haven have become weary of the situation while most of the fun lovers have withdrawn into their shells like a threatened Tortoise.
It was, however, gathered that some big operators in the industry who have recorded monumental losses since the advent of the Ebola virus saga have deviced means of keeping their clients. Apart from the improvement on their security network to protect lives and properties of their clients from hoodlums, they have installed the Rycom RC008 Non contact infrared thermometer in their business premises.
This technology allows Temporary Artery (TA) Temperature to be taken at a distance of about 3-5cm away from the forward to measure the temperature of a person by the energy he or she emits.
This to an extent informs you about the primary status of the person’s well being before gaining entrance into the crowded and highly patronised clubs, hotels and hangouts. This technology is now in vogue in most of these entertainment centres across the country including Port Harcourt, the heart beat of show business East, of the Niger.
Funke Akindele
Spotify yesterday revealed a significant surge in heartbreak song streams in Nigeria during the Valentine’s Day season, with a 626 percent increase between 2022 and 2024.
This was disclosed in a statement issued in Lagos, Nigeria by Spotify’s Head of Music, Sub-Saharan Africa Phiona Okumu.
Okumu said, “Spotify data reveals a surprising trend, a massive surge in heartbreak song streams.
“Nigerians are turning to their playlists to express their emotions, with a staggering 626 per cent overall growth in heartbreak streams from 2022 to 2024.
“This Valentine, the sound of love is accompanied by the sound of heartbreak, and the data shows it’s louder than ever before.”
She said on Valentine’s Day, most surprisingly, male listeners streamed heartbreak songs at a significantly higher rate than female listeners, with a 362 per cent increase compared to 169 per cent among women.
“This could suggest that men resonate with the feeling of heartbreak more and turn to music as a private outlet for processing emotions.
“Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, when love is in the air, so is heartbreak and Nigerian men are pressing play on their pain more than expected.
“While Valentine’s Day is often celebrated with grand gestures, heartbreak is a common theme on Valentine’s Day -more than what’s publicly shown,” she said.
Nigerians will join their counterparts across the world to mark the 2025 Valentine’s today.
Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Temilade Openiyi, popularly known as Tems, has joined MLS side San Diego FC’s ownership group as a club partner.
SDFC announced today that Tems joined the ownership group through her company, The Leading Vibe.
In the process, Tems became the first African woman to be involved in MLS ownership.
“We are delighted that Tems has joined San Diego FC as a club partner,” SDFC chairman Sir Mohamed Mansour said in a statement.
“Tems is a globally significant artist who will help us reach new audiences and spread the word about our unique project, which, of course, has its foundations in sub-Saharan Africa through the unique Right to Dream organisation.”
Reacting to her addition as the latest partner in SDFC’s ownership group, the singer said: “I am thrilled to join San Diego FC’s ownership group and to be part of a club that celebrates creativity, culture, and the power of community.
“Football has a unique way of bringing people together, and I am excited to help build something special in San Diego, a city that thrives on diversity and innovation.”
Fashion and beauty entrepreneur, Toyin Lawani, has claimed she is enduring back pain and that her spine is degenerating.
Lawani revealed this in a video posted on social media last Tuesday.
In the clip, she opened up about her experience with epidural anesthesia, an injection administered to pregnant women in the spine to reduce pain during childbirth.
The mother of three claimed that since receiving the injection, she has not felt like herself.
She accused doctors of not fully informing women about the long-term side effects of epidurals.
According to Lawani, she received the anesthetic injection during the birth of her last two children.
She said, “When you hear ‘epidural,’ run. Doctors tell you about the side effects but do not tell you about the long-term effects on your body. I have about three friends having the same issues that I am having.
“Like, I am just 42, how did I end up with spine issues? I have a degenerating spine. I have implants in my spine. I go paralyzed. I can’t stand for a long time. I can’t even breathe properly sometimes because it affected so many things in my body when I had the surgery.
“They will not tell you because you just want the pain to go away. I have had two epidurals. I had my first as natural birth. The last two were epidural. The last one I had epidural because I had to undergo a surgery and I had no choice.
“See, the pain does not stop. My back is killing me and my spine is degenerating.”