Big Brother Naija has come and gone, but subsequent editions must hold in Nigeria to make it truly Nigerian
Now that the show is over, it is time for a post-mortem. Whatever might have been wrong with the well-publicised reality show Big Brother Naija (BBN), the dramatic welcome celebration on April 10 was a clear-cut statement on its popularity.
This is how a vivid on-the-spot account captured the reality of the show’s mass appeal: “Winner of reality show – Big Brother Naija (BBN) – Efe Ejeba yesterday arrived into the warm embrace of his admirers. The crowd of fans in branded T-shirts had waited patiently for about three hours, singing and dancing at the Arrival Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, to give a rousing welcome to Efe. Efe, who arrived in Nigeria with Bisola, the first runner-up, was further delayed by airport officials and co-passengers, who struggled for photo ops at the luggage arena after disembarking from a South African Airways flight from Johannesburg, where the show was recorded for 78 days.”
The report continued: ”Outside the airport, it was hectic for the team of policemen and protocol officers from Multichoice, organisers of the show, to shield them from the crowd, and usher them into the waiting convoy… In the last three months, Big Brother Naija was estimated to be the most watched show on the African continent, shutting down Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with trending issues daily.”
It is noteworthy that the show attracted various criticisms from various quarters when it started, and even when it ended, particularly the emotionally charged argument that the choice of South Africa for a Nigerian-content show was inapt, if not insulting to a country that enjoys being described as “Giant of Africa.” Another major criticism of the show was its alleged devaluation of moral values by the depiction of an apparently amoral universe. Also, the show was criticised for its alleged artificiality, which contradicted its supposed reality. In addition, it glamourised vanity and materialism, critics said.
Of course, nationalistic thinking has its merits. Indeed, South Africa’s role as host of the show was such a hot issue that the Federal Government directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to investigate whether the offshore arrangement had breached the Nigerian Broadcasting Code in any way. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had said in a statement: “As a country of laws, only the outcome of the investigation will determine our next line of action. ’’
It is interesting that, despite the investigation, the show went on to the end, suggesting that the investigators found nothing amiss. It would appear that the explanation by Multichoice made sense and the arrangement could not be faulted on legal grounds. A defensive statement issued by the company had said: “We have a fully equipped house in South Africa, which is used for the Big Brother shows. This means that we are able to achieve high production values whilst meeting tight timelines and ensuring the show comes to our viewers on time as planned, and with the same globally renowned quality. The house has played host to other Big Brother countries including: the general Big Brother Africa, Mozambique, Angola and now Nigeria.’’ The point is that nationalist and patriotic sentiments were not strong enough in this case, and the organisers and sponsors based their calculations on unsentimental business considerations.
Talking of the business angle, there is no doubt that this was a profitable venture for the organisers. An analytical report said: “During the final live eviction show on Sunday 2nd of April, Ebuka announced that for that week only, they received over 11 million votes. Although not all votes were through SMS, which by the way cost N30 per vote, a large percentage could have come through that channel. At N30 per vote, 11 million votes amount to N330m in just one week out of the eleven that Big Brother Naija ran for. Usually, telcos take 70% of revenue generated on SMS shortcode services. That leaves about N99m for Multichoice, the organisers.”
The report added: “This amount could be much higher, depending on the revenue share agreement between Multichoice and the telcos. Remember that the above figures reflect only one week of voting and the total prize money for the winner of the show is just N25m.” In addition to the prize money, the winner also went home with a new Kia Seranto Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV).
There is no question that BBN had its upsides, the winner’s enrichment being one. It was a turning point in the life of the 23-year-old Economics graduate of the University of Jos. Another positive side of the show was its projection of Nigeria and Nigerians. It was not only entertaining; it was also enlightening, considering its focus on human interaction in a “special living environment.” The 12 housemates that contested for the big prize, who were in their twenties and thirties, had to win the endorsement of the voting public to make progress.
Big Brother Naija, which was broadcast on pay-TV from January 22 to April 9, replaced Big Brother Nigeria, which was launched in 2006. Considering the 10-year pause between the first and second seasons, it is uncertain when the next edition of the reality show will happen.
In the final analysis, it is a thought-provoking reality that a decade after the show’s first season, Nigeria was still considered unsuitable for hosting it. By the next time, there should be no reason, and no excuse, for taking the show abroad.
