BBN: A “Circus-Show”, Celebration of Immorality

By: Abd.Rosheed Akintibubo

Many people do hear about Big Brother NAIJA which has become an household name in Nigeria but most have wittingly neglected what it intends to achieve.
In the light of this therefore it dawn on me to give a vent to thousand’s of opinions of good Nigerians about the sinister undertones of the founder of the TV reality show.

The BB NAIJA as it is fondly called is a TV series opened to contestants also called “housemates” who live in an isolated house to compete for huge cash and other mouth-watering prizes. The housemates struggle to avoid being evicted by viewers who are allowed to cast their votes for their favourite contestants for them to remain in the show.

It was founded by a Dutch billionaire, John de Mol Jr. From Netherlands, in 2006. The show is viewable on DSTV, GOTV and some mobile Apps. One may begin to wonder how gigantic and robust in quantity the spectators, audience and/or the viewers might be.

This show has vehemently dominated all facets of intellectual discourse and without mincing words, has arouse public hysteria in many quarters.
However, the purposeful intent of the Dutch billionaire reads: “to put together people of/from diverse backgrounds, culture and experience to live and work together. Housemates are allowed and encouraged to live their normal lives”. This seems very interesting though.

But in real sense of it, there is an observed disparity in the object and modus operandi, as in contents, of each series of the show. As recently witnessed, the winner that emerged was actually being compensated with some ‘worthless’ prizes to compensate for her ignoble participation in the show organized by the ‘White folk’ to bastardize and put in disrepute our esteemed norms, and cultural heritage in her own fatherland to the amusement of the white folks.

Yes, she was being rewarded for living her “normal lives” in the house that is not better than a brothel where none of the housemates could claim chastity. Worse enough, no white folk’ participated in the show, even right from it’s inception. All participants were blacks. This, in my mind’s eye foreshadows the ill-motivated, self-centered and sinister undertone tendencies inhibited in the reality show. But obviously Nigerians are being caught in the web of dramatic irony.

The untrammelled growth we witness as a people in connection with the negative impacts that this show is conferring on our youth should not be taken with a pinch of salt if truly Nigeria is aspiring for a greater and brighter morrow. Consequent on the unholy civilization that BB NAIJA and its ilks have brought, our youth now find it difficult to dress decently. The girls nakedly whirl about and pirouette like leaves whirled in the eddies of rain storm; showcase their broad-butts, tits and ball-bearing hips and always prepared for ‘the show’. The boys or men advertently expose their dicks ready for the play. They hug, kiss and sometimes, they do make ‘it’ happen in the open merely for prizes.

This show of madness is where Mr. John de Mol Jr. is making his fame, selfishly enriches himself, makes other white folks get fun and amused to the detriment of the future of our youths and dear country, Nigeria. We are not even minding the viewers in the whole wide world.
Literature they say, however, is the mirror of the society. A similitude of this ill-fated show could be likened to Ralph Ellison’s “INVISIBLE MAN”. In this novel, the narrator depicts a group of white men who organised a “Circus-Show” to merely catch fun, amuse the invited white men with a view to mocking the sensibilities of the black folks that are participants for a worthless monetary reward. This is staged to further demonstrate their hatred, racial discrimination and social segregation toward the black folks (Afro-Americans) in the land of their joint heritage-America.
The preliminary event of the Circus-Show started with a stark naked dance by a black slut, she has to dance to the amusement of the organizers of the show. This is followed by a wild boxing fight by some young Afro-Americans.

These niggers are blindfolded and put in a boxing ring to beat themselves to pulp. At the end of the fight, the fighters are commanded to pick their monetary rewards on the electrified rug as arranged by the white Americans. The Circus-Show comes to an end after each participant is paid a ‘ridiculous’ token of five dollars and some worthless gold coins. This, no doubt, replicates the BB NAIJA obnoxious Show.

Succinctly, we can metaphorically equate the BB NAIJA with the narrator’s CIRCUS-SHOW because the contents, contests and hidden intentions of the organizers are all synonymous. We can see clearly that this is a rape on our socio-cultural heritage and yet another calculated attempt to gradually derope or disrobe us of our dignity among the comity of nations.

Some groups and individuals had risen against this ugly trend, but still, practically, nothing has been done to checkmate this monster. Notably, the Muslims’ Rights Concern (MURIC, 2019) and Sonnie Ekwowusi, 2021. Ekwowusi made it known that: “BB NAIJA is nothing but sexual barbarism. It is eroticism and nudity. . . .it is a pornography”.

Unarguably, it is the right time to dispense with BB NAIJA and it’s likes. It has done us more harms than good. Aside from youths working nakedly on our streets, markets, and other public places, many homes have broken, jobs are lost as a result of sexual harassment especially as recently reported in our tertiary institutions

This occurrence has made many victims of circumstances. Most men could no longer control the sexual urge they were lured into as these “daughters of Jezebel” dress satanically in our society. Most even think they are living the “normal lives”.
It is however, regretting that we cannot see beyond the surface while allowing this cancerous tumor, to have surreptitiously impressed on us as if forcing a bitter pill down our throats, to thrive in this country. For those that care to know, aside from the huge money this white man (John de Mol Jr.) makes from here, he also derives a lot of fun and amusement for his co- white folks around the globe. He has also succeeded in mocking the sensibilities of the black race.

The rhapsody of effrontery, discourtesy and ecstatic shame being demonstrated in his show of Immorality is an indelible legacy that every home and/or society will have to contend with if urgent step is not taken to quash or nib this nauseating menace in the bud.

At this juncture, we are appealing to the Federal Government to expunge the BB NAIJA and its ilks without further delay. Nothing good can come out of it. Also, the NBC should be empowered to deal ruthlessly with any TV Station or Channel that either partners, promotes, advertises or transmits BB NAIJA contents.

We also call on all stakeholders, the NGOs, Civil Societies, Churches, Mosques, Leaders of faiths, Custodians of Culture-the Traditional Rulers and Chiefs to join hands together and flush this ‘monstrous plague’ out of our national system.

This is very important if truly we aspire for national rebirth. Or, do we continue to enjoy the ebullience and gaiety of the “Circus-Show” until impropriety, debauchery and impunity consumed us as a nation?

Prince Abd.Rosheed Adekola Akintibubo
writes from Ile-Ife, Osun State.
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