Nollywood actress Miriam Ogbonna has defended her statement that sex workers deserve better pay, explaining that her comment was meant to expose societal hypocrisy, not to promote prostitution.
In an interview with Saturday Beats, Ogbonna said many Nigerians publicly condemn prostitution but secretly support it by paying for the services.
“As much as we frown at certain things, it won’t make them stop. In the case of prostitution, if there is no patronage, these girls will find other means of livelihood. But when we criticise them publicly while some men secretly patronise them, to what end?” she asked.
She added that her point was to highlight what she called double standards.
“My message was simply to call out hypocrisy. Since some men won’t stop patronising them, they might as well pay them well, because their job is not an easy one,” Ogbonna said.
Addressing the backlash her comments received, she said she was not shocked, describing social media as full of people pretending to be morally upright.
“Social media is filled with self-righteous people who do the worst things in the dark. Everyone claims to be a saint online,” she said.
Outside the controversy, Ogbonna said she continues to balance acting and scriptwriting, adding that she produces her best work when she is alone.
“When I’m alone, I get my best ideas,” she explained.
