Aina Gold, one of the #FearlessInOctober protesters at Freedom Park, Ojota, Lagos, has said that the harsh economic conditions under President Bola Tinubu’s administration could push her daughters into prostitution against her will.

Gold, with tears streaming down her face, told FIJ on Tuesday that she could barely afford to take care of herself and her two daughters due to the economic hardship.

She explained that, although she sold sachet alcohol, she had to move out of her block apartment and into a shack, as she could no longer afford the rent.

READ ALSO: PHOTOS: Heavy Security Presence Expecting Protesters at Ojota Freedom Park

“I don’t want my daughters to turn to prostitution. I sell sachet alcohol, and even the Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) group comes and seizes my goods without returning them,” she said in Yoruba.

“Ask around about me. I sell around that First Bank area. I do not sleep around, nor do I rob. We’ve been hoping for a better Nigeria, believing things would improve, but this is too much. Pity us.

“I have two children, Esther and Abigail, whom I don’t want to feel pressured into accepting N500 from men who would sleep with them.

“This suffering is unbearable. When our children don’t have enough to eat, they may take N500 from these men and end up with unwanted pregnancies, which would only add to our burdens as parents. The government should have mercy on us.”

Gold said she has been living alone as a single mother since 2013 and has singlehandedly taken care of her two daughters.

She added that she had become a debtor in her neighbourhood due to the incessant rise in the cost of living.

“This is too much to bear. We were all born the same way. Ever since I started living alone on January 13, 2013, I’ve done so because I don’t want my children to suffer,” she told FIJ.

“I’ve kept them with me because I don’t want anyone to abuse them verbally. I’ve been living alone since then. The child I was nursing back then was one year old, and she will be 14 next year. I haven’t depended on anyone for money.

“But now, I have no money for anything. I used to live in a room, but I had to move out and take my daughters to a shack. If no one will speak up, I will.

“I am now in debt because I can no longer afford things. I don’t come out when I should because I’m ashamed. Tinubu and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos, need to act.”

READ ALSO: #FearlessInOctober Kicks Off in Lagos, Protesters Demand Review of Economic Policies

FIJ reported earlier that Nigerians took to the streets again on Tuesday, the country’s 64th Independence Day anniversary, to express their dissatisfaction with the Tinubu administration.

The protesters are demanding a review of the harsh economic policies which have led to rising living costs, naira devaluation, and other challenges.