A lawyer, T. V. Ramnap esq, has written a petition to the National Assembly against the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and Multichoice, the owner of DSTV, requesting for the ban of the Big Brother Naija program from airing in Nigeria.
According to Ramnap, the vulgar nature of the program makes it unfit to be aired on national television.
Present at the hearing was Franca Ayetan, the secretary of the NBC. However, Multichoice was absent at the hearing.
Ramnap while presenting his case said the program Big Brother Naija, popularly called BBNaija was in violation of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria as amended, the NBC act and the NBC code.
The request of the petitioner are for the Senate to:
Ask the NBC to immediately sanction the Multichoice Nigeria limited to stop the Big Brother Naija program from airing on its satellite.
Direct the NBC to penalise Multichoice from violating the Nigerian laws as contained in Section 15 of the NBC code.
Direct the NBC to order Multichoice to drop any of its programs that has a similar content to the BBN program in Nigeria.
To pass any other resolution which it deems fit and proper in dealing with the unconstitutionality.
In their response, the NBC agreed that its code of conduct prohibited the airing of mortally obscene, socially unacceptable and Xrated programs.
According to them, Broadcasting programs that require subscription such as the DSTV mandates the program providers to educate the viewers on the kind of contents that would be made available especially if the program appeals to a wide range of audience.
“The NBC cannot regulate homes, they can only regulate the broadcasters. So we ensure there are tools such as the remote and electronic guide for programs, and age restriction labels.”
The Senate Committee on ethics, privileges and Public Petitions, led by Senator Yeda Emasuen, after listening to both sides said the NBC had provided satisfactory steps in limiting people’s access to the program through subscription and coding.
He said while it was difficult to submit what is moral and immoral about the big brother naija program, he advises the petitioner to take the case to a regular law court so there would be a robust conversation and a landmark case, where decisions would be taken that all would be bound by.
However, the committee is not convinced that the Big Brother naija program is to be stopped from airing.
