Lagos Lawyer Gives NBC 30 Days to Ban or Regulate Big Brother Naija Over Alleged Immoral & Indecent Broadcasts

 

Controversy continues to trail the ongoing 10th season of Big Brother Naija as Lagos-based activist lawyer, Maduabuchi Idam, has petitioned the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), demanding either a total ban or immediate regulation of the reality TV show. The legal practitioner decried what he described as the show’s consistent promotion of obscene, indecent, and profane content that undermines public morality and violates the NBC Act of 1999.

Raising concerns over the explicit nature of the content broadcasted on both television and social media, Idam declared his intent to seek judicial intervention if the NBC fails to take decisive action within 30 days. His letter to the commission has sparked a wider conversation about the boundaries of artistic freedom, content regulation, and cultural values in Nigeria’s broadcast space.

Expressing deep concern about the alleged indecency, Idam said the show, despite its 18+ rating, is easily accessible to a much wider and unintended audience, including minors, due to its heavy promotion on open television and verified social media platforms. According to him, the program is saturated with real-time scenes of obscene and sexually suggestive activities that are readily shared online by the organizers, making regulation not only necessary but urgent.

"The content is disturbing and inappropriate for public broadcast. The show is not aired within a closed pay-per-view environment but instead floods the internet with clips that any child can access," Idam wrote. He added that the NBC, in its role as the nation’s regulatory authority, is obligated to act in accordance with its established mandate and guidelines.

Referring to past sanctions imposed by NBC on several Nigerian music videos that were deemed to promote indecency, Idam questioned why Big Brother Naija has been allowed to continue without similar scrutiny. He cited specific instances, including NBC’s bans on Olamide’s “Don’t Stop”, Phyno’s “Yayo”, Reminisce’s “Tesojue”, and Wizkid’s “In My Bed”, all of which were restricted for their content despite enjoying significant public acceptance.

"Given this history of strict regulation, it becomes extremely baffling that NBC remains silent over a show that consistently pushes the limits of decency," he stated. Idam noted that while he acknowledges the program’s rating as intended for mature audiences, the actual method of content delivery does not safeguard younger viewers or those not interested in the show from unintentional exposure.

He also criticized the show's producers for what he termed a complete disregard for the values of public decency. According to him, the Big Brother Naija platform has failed to deliver any recognizable educational, artistic, literary, or scientific value to Nigerian society and instead contributes to the erosion of cultural and moral standards.

“The society is already grappling with various forms of insecurity and social decay. A reality show with no clear value to offer only worsens these problems,” he noted. For Idam, the airing of BBNaija in its current format amounts to a betrayal of societal efforts to curb moral decline and uphold traditional values.

He insisted that if the NBC is unwilling to completely ban the show, then at the very least, it should be moved to highly restricted channels that are strictly regulated and accessible only to adult audiences. He further demanded that the sharing of explicit content clips on social media by the show’s official pages be halted immediately.

Failure to address the concerns raised, according to Idam, will leave him with no other option than to take the matter before a competent court for redress. He emphasized that his petition was not driven by personal bias but by genuine concern for the moral wellbeing of the nation and its youth.

The petition has since stirred public debate, with some supporting Idam’s move as necessary for upholding societal values, while others view it as a clampdown on entertainment and creative freedom. The NBC has yet to officially respond to the petition as of the time of this report.

As the reality show continues to dominate conversations and trend across social media platforms, the coming days will reveal whether the NBC chooses to act in response to the petition or face a possible legal battle initiated by the activist lawyer.