Would prostitution ever be legal in Nigeria?

Remember the advert for the Nollywood classic 'Domitila?'

Somewhere in the clip, the line "asewo no be work o" comes out loud and clear. That line was so popular back then that it became a part of everyday yarns.

Contrary to popular belief, asewo is big business, especially in Germany. I stumbled on a 2015 article about German prostitutes which has inspired today's article.

The prostitution industry in Germany is worth €18bn. Prostitution was legalized in the country in 2002 and in a decade or more it had grown to become a billion Euro industry.

To put things in proper perspective, Nigeria's oil revenue in 2016 was €22bn. Look at what Germans are making off prostitutes. It is big business.

Prostitution is illegal in Nigeria but brothels are filled with men who just want a quickie outside their matrimonial homes. Don't pretend, married men patronise prostitutes the most. We know this according to the unofficial survey from the streets.

Chances are that prostitution is a billion Naira business in Nigeria. Why not legalize it? We all know oil isn't going to last forever. There are already signs that crude oil is already on the way out. There is something that will never be out though and that's sex. Nigerians love sex. There are 180 million people in Nigeria to prove this.

Prostitution, as it is now, promotes human trafficking and exploitation. Since prostitution is illegal, criminals have hijacked the trade and used it to exploit women. It has also led to the HIV prevalence among sex workers in the country.

These are problems that would be wiped away if prostitution is made legal in Nigeria. You might argue that prostitution is immoral and you would be right in saying so based on your moral value system and religion.

You should note that government is not in the business of morals at least in many developed countries. If prostitution would benefit the nation economically and reduce HIV in the country shouldn't we make it legal?

Your answer is as good as mine. Nigeria is a deeply religious country and it is more than likely that prostitution would never be legal.

So, last, last asewo no be work.