Now in its ninth season in Nigeria, popular reality show, Big Brother Naija, has been airing on pay television and viewers, who are up for it, are glued to the TV, watching the proceedings with bated breath.
Big Brother was first aired in the Netherlands and is now shown in over 60 countries. The show got its name, Big Brother, from the mysterious character in George Orwell’s novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four.
In Orwell’s book, Big Brother was the all-seeing leader of a totalitarian nation. His government kept citizens under constant surveillance.
In a typical Big Brother show, there are contestants that are referred to as “housemates.” And they are kept in a secluded but lavishly furnished “Big Brother house” where they compete to perform tasks and “play the game” by employing different strategies that help them to avoid eviction from the house.
The mysterious voice of the ever-faceless Big Brother is also a talking point of the show and adds a riveting angle to the show.
Since Big Brother is out of view, he watches the housemates and listens to every conversation in the house 24/7 via cameras and microphones that are installed in practically every area of his mansion.
The housemates, on their part, are oblivious to happenings in the outside world and cannot communicate with family and friends as their phones and other electronic devices have been confiscated and would only be handed back to them after their eviction from the show.
The winner of the show usually emerges through a voting process. The general public determines which housemate goes home with the mouthwatering cash prize that is up for grabs – which runs into several millions of naira in BBNaija – together with other additional prizes.
“I urge true lovers of the country to join hands and draw the government’s attention to the implication of this programme which should be discouraged”
The current season, themed “No Loose Guard,” premiered on July 28, 2024, and die-hard fans of the show who had waited days on end for the start of “the biggest reality show in Africa” knew they were up for the usual dose of unpredictable twists and turns the controversial show is known for.
Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, alumni of the show who participated in its inaugural season in 2006, returned as the host for the eighth consecutive time and many fans, who are always enamoured of his fashion sense, will once again be captivated by the vast array of tasty clothing he will wear throughout the duration of the show.
The current BBN show will run for 71 days. Some of the previous seasons lasted up to 90 days and had fans on the edge of their seats. The current season’s finale will air on October 6, 2024.
Interestingly, unlike other seasons in which housemates stepped into the Big Brother house alone, this year’s edition saw housemates entering the house in pairs.
The names of the pairs that came into the house are Wanni x Handi, Double Kay, Mbadiwe twins, Zinwe, Aces, Radicals, Nelita, Chekas, Ndi Nne, Tami, Shatoria, Streeze, Flouruish and Beta.
So far, Tami, Ndi Nne, Streeze, Flouruish and Radicals have been evicted from the house. And in a recent twist, Big Brother unexpectedly separated the remaining duo in the house, thus making it an individual game.
Nevertheless, the usual controversies associated with the show have not been in short supply.
Some housemates have had misunderstandings that quickly led to the feuding housemates using the F-word and other vile languages for settling scores and for tongue-lashing rivals – actions that affect the mental health of many of their viewers.
Nigerians have also been outraged at the level of nudity exhibited by housemates as well as the sexcapade in the house. This is why some prominent Nigerians and groups had called beforehand for an outright ban of the Big Brother show.
For instance, in 2021, the Arewa Youths Advisory Forum described the reality TV show as a “calamity” and called on the Federal Government to ban it.
The National President of the forum, Yerima Shettima said, “It is a calamity for me. I never believed in BBNaija and I don’t think it’s fair because the show is an act of immorality. Such a spectacle should not be encouraged.
“I have often said that this show encourages immorality and that the Nigerian government should ban it. It should not be allowed to be broadcast in our country.
“A lot of people are watching to see acts of immorality, these housemates flaunt their nudity, and they make it look like a ‘blue film’, so that is to be discouraged.
“I urge true lovers of the country to join hands and draw the government’s attention to the implication of this programme which should be discouraged.”
In 2022, the then Director General of the National Council for Arts and Culture, Segun Runsewe, asked the House of Representatives to give his council powers to yank BBNaija off the airwaves over nudity concerns and BBNaija’s uncultured content.
Runsewe also said he reported the show to the National Broadcasting Commission even as he urged the NASS to empower his office to act against BBNaija.
“I am the first person who took BBNaija to NBC to report them because they were having nudity. They should not bring it to Nigeria because our culture is rich and it respects the integrity of our country,” Runsewe said.
He added, “This honourable House just needs to empower us with just a legal framework and that nonsense will stop.”
Analysts have argued that sparks fly when young adults of the opposite sex are compelled to cohabit in the same restricted space like what obtains in the BBNaija house.
They also say that even though the housemates compete for sponsored tasks and plan for their wager tasks, their minds are, for the better part of the show, idle.
Some of the housemates themselves, such as one half of the already evicted Zinwe duo, Zion, had narrated his sexual shenanigans in the house with his partner cum girlfriend, Chinwe, to another evicted housemate, Fairme Davids of the Radicals.
Despite such brazen activities in the house, the organisers of the show have often defended the show by reminding Nigerians that BBNaija is rated 18 and some activities therein may not be suitable for viewers of all ages.
They have also counselled parents to activate the parental control features of their decoders.
An ardent viewer of the show, Amara Ugorji told The Point, “There is indeed what some people might call ‘adult content’ in the show. But am I not an adult? What are we even saying here?
“I only have a problem with the show when underage kids watch it. Parents must therefore realise that they have a duty to protect their children from the negative aspects of BBNaija.
“And I don’t think it should be banned. It has elevated ordinary boys and girls to celebrity status in the country and the recalcitrant behaviour of a few housemates should not destroy the main aim of the show.
“And if at all possible, the organisers of the show should begin to spare us the distasteful scenes in the show. That will make many of us comfortable while watching the show.”
A public affairs commentator, Kizito Opara, said, “It is really surprising that the government has not been able to ban the show. I understand that many Nigerians went to the courts to do so but have not had their prayers answered.
“More importantly, we all know that our culture does not permit immorality and nudity. Anything contrary to this is alien to our way of life. This is where I think that the government should not fold its hands.
“The NBC has been vested with the responsibility by our laws to regulate all broadcastings within Nigeria. So, they must ensure that they always keep the BBNaija show under the spotlight and mete out sanctions whenever and wherever necessary.”
