BIG BROTHER NAIJA – And they are having s*x

By Joseph Edgar

The incredulity of Big Brother continues to dismay not only me but thousands of concerned Nigerians. The other day a newspaper did an editorial asking for it to be shut down and even the Special Adviser to the President on New Media was forced to come out to proclaim that she does not have the powers to shut down this profanity signposting that she had been receiving a lot of negative feedback from the public.

Despite all these strident calls, sponsors and its promoters continue to assail us with this programme without any recourse to some of our concerns as parents and responsible citizens. So, after I did my first article and following it up with a mention on my column published by Thisday on Saturday, I began to take more than passing interest in this programme to see what exactly makes it so popular amongst our youths.The answer did not take time to come to me.

Big Brother Naija comes with very solid addictive ingredients- s*x, substance abuse, fashion all tying effectively into youth culture. Some studies have shown that over 60million Nigerians throng the internet on a daily basis and these items as listed are the main draw, and if you add the need to make quick money without any real effort you will begin to see the reason for this programmes quick success.

So the housemates are edged on by the lucre that the winner takes home the huge reward at the end, the celebrity that comes with it and the immediate scale up in societal status simply because you have been sequestered in a house and Nigerians have watched you indulge in all sort of debauchery and unruly behaviour that should ordinarily annoy society.

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So I get clips just this Monday of two house mates having s*x under the duvet. The female is facing the camera with a straight face as if nothing is happening and the male is just behind her and from the movements of his hips, you ca see that he is humping away. Now millions of our teenagers are watching this at this point, safe s*x is not in the equation. The obvious fallout of this act, like the chances of getting STD, unwanted pregnancy amongst others is really not in consideration as the couple now emerges the most popular in the House.

The teeming youths watching this are being told by this adulation that this is the right thing to do. Teenage or pre-marital s*x, especially these days of serial STDs is a formula for disaster. I have watched and waited to see if condoms or any kind of counselling has been given to housemates by the promoters but as I write, I have not seen.

While I was still brooding about this, especially with the fact that my teenage daughters (12 and 11 years) are hooked on this show and as such my concern levels have thrown up red flags, I suddenly stumble on one of the female housemates masturbating. Oh my God!!!!!. Now if this is not pervasion why would a camera crew made up of fathers and adult males even be recording and watching this if not that they themselves have issues.

But wait don’t go yet.

One popular blog now posts the clip and asks a simple question, ‘’what is the housemate doing’’ and if you look at the several comments you will see that we are in serious trouble. So a majority of comments were in total support of the housemate’s public self-pleasure. Well should we keep quiet, I think not.
Some people have said do not watch it. It’s pay tv, use your remote control and I say NO, let’s start selling cocaine and other hard drugs on the street and then ask the vulnerable not to buy, that they should just walk past, after all its not compulsory to buy, abi?

Big Brother Naija has no societal value and shame to all the corporates who make it difficult for responsible vehicles get support but flock to this satanic platform because of its mind numbing ability to drag millions of our youths.
I have unplugged my decoder and dumped it in the store until the show is over. I no fit shout, I get teenage daughters for house. I no fit cry.

 

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