Excerpt from Weekend Concord article in August 1997

The death of the Afrobeat king, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, from complications arising from the dreaded Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), has triggered massive demand for condoms, which are one of the protective devices against sexually transmitted diseases.

Lagosians, who had hitherto been lukewarm to the campaigns with condoms, are now very enthusiastic buyers of condoms.

Chemists and shopkeepers told the Federal Press that since the death of Fela, they have been enjoying booming sales of condoms. "Fela's death is actually a blessing to us," says Andrew Jones, a cosmetics shopkeeper in Oshodi, Lagos, who also sells condoms.

Before Fela's death, Jones, 26, says he used to sell less than two packets of condoms a week, but within a week of Fela's death, he exhausted his stock of five packets. His customers are still asking for more. "Every day is a blessing," he says, adding that, from the point of view of condom business and AIDS awareness, Fela's death is not bad news. "AIDS and the need to use condoms before sex," he adds.

Another chemist, Me Joseph Cu of I. O. Chemist and Cosmetics, says he used to sell about half a packet. Now, his condom sales have shot up to 12 packets. "The situation is miraculous," he says. "Fela's death instilled fear in people that AIDS is really with us in Nigeria." He predicts that, from now on, the condom business is never going to be the same in Nigeria.

He advised the federal Ministry of Health to take advantage of the condom boom to drive home the AIDS awareness message. "Do not do anything on a whim, because if the sales drop, that means many people would be contracting AIDS," he says.

Tom Okcown 14, who works in a pharmaceutical shop at Ojuetegba, Lagos, says she has never seen anything like the condom rush in the last two weeks, thanks to the death of the popular Afrobeat king. "The product is moving very, very well."