Whether the justification of sex work by Shaffy Bello is a tongue-in-cheek remark that should be scoffed at, a deliberate contrarian position to create controversy that will compel people to watch the episode, hence increasing the host’s payouts on YouTube or an intentional vocalisation of the creed and disposition by which she lives, the pertinent question to ask here is whether such an open justification and validation of a profession that many are contemptuous of should happen in the first place
Throughout human existence, one conversation that has endured despite the evolution of humanity and the passage of time is the relationship between morality and survival. They question and debate whether the need for survival and self-preservation should take precedence over morality, or if the desire for wealth and material comfort supersedes a clear conscience. Those who have managed to answer these questions, no matter which side of the spectrum of the debate they found themselves on, have been accused of bias and utter disconnection from realities that could have shaped their conclusions and assertions of where they stand on the subject.
Only a handful of places on earth have seen this poignant discourse of survival and morality as a perennial and popular conversation more than Nigeria. For years now, there have been growing concerns about how deeply materialistic and money-centred the average Nigerian has become and also how our exemplary values, cherished social norms and culture of yore have been corroded by the intemperate pursuit of wealth and get-rich-quick schemes. One thing that must be stated here and now is that the debasement of socio-cultural standing came to be because we not only allowed it but normalised the anomaly and aberration.
Grit, dedication, hard work and honesty are hardly rewarded while fraud, greed and social vices are extolled. This past week, the question of whether the end should justify the means on matters of survival and morality has dominated discussion and trends on social media underscoring the intersection between responsibility, desperation, morality, logic and sound judgment. The character at the centre of the debate is actress and Nollywood veteran, Shaffy Bello.
Bello gave unconventional admonitions to young women about commercial sex work. She claimed there was nothing wrong with engaging in prostitution to make ends meet and attain a certain level of material comfort. Speaking in a new episode of the Moraya Show, the actress claimed that it was perfectly fine for ladies to engage in commercial sex work if it was for survival or pressing needs.
Bello said she doesn’t judge commercial sex workers but rather she encourages them to do it well with respect and confidence. She, however, warned that women who go into sex work due to pressing needs shouldn’t tarry in it.
“If what you are doing now is being a ‘runs girl’ to make money, you don’t have to stay there. I understand it, I never judge. If you go be ash*wo, do well. Do it well with respect and your full chest. However, don’t stay there. If that is what you have to do right now to make a living. Some girls are doing it because they need to feed their mom and send their younger ones to school. I understand it. However, my darlings, don’t stay there,” she advised.
Expectedly, the advice has sparked controversy with mixed reactions to trailing it. While the majority find her remark classless and distasteful, a handful find it prudent and reasonable. Among those who share their perspective on the matter, some believe there is nothing entirely wrong with Bello’s statement and if anything it is in keeping with the widespread allegations of the practice of sex-for-movie roles in the Nigerian film industry, and her support of commercial sex work for survival is a tacit confirmation of the troubling phenomenon.
Whether the rationalisation of sex work by Shaffy Bello is a tongue-in-cheek remark that should be scoffed at, a deliberate contrarian position to create controversy that will compel people to watch the episode, hence increasing the host’s payouts on YouTube or an intentional vocalisation of the creed and disposition by which she lives, the pertinent question to ask here is whether such an open justification and validation of a profession that many are contemptuous of should happen in the first place, whether the promotion of sex work with glee — in a nation where delayed gratification is seen as punishment and hardwork is seen as torture with — as a route to escape poverty, deprivation and social inequality is a profound and essential call to action.
There is a good chance that many Nigerians who have reacted to Shaffy Bello’s statement would have ignored the conversation if it were a younger person, someone in their 20s or early 30s, that utter the statement. It is easy to chalk down such remarks from a younger person to youthful exuberance and vainglory. But Bello is not just a popular actress, she also belongs to the older generation that the majority of young Nigerians feel destroyed the country because of the lifestyle they lived and are still living.
One would have thought that for someone of his age, profession and standing in Nigeria, he should have been more tactful, discreet, and prudent on matters of morality and socio-cultural realities. And this is not about being politically correct for the sake of public applause but doing one’s part in reversing years of social aberration and halting further descent into the cesspit of ignoble practices. As much as no one expects Shaffy Bello to be a prude or puritan, it is also clear that no one pegs her as an immoralist and proponent of social vices. So many expected her to extol the virtue of honest and dignifying labour rather than justifying the behaviour of deviants as she seeks to cloak ugly eccentricities and amoral tendencies in the garb of acceptable and normal practices.
After all is said and done, we must decide what we want as people and a nation. Do we want to remain a group of people that worship money and wealth not minding how people attain their high and advanced socio-economic status while we denigrate and scoff at those who choose to take the path of honour and dignity in solving the conundrum that life tosses at them
