CELEBRATION OF SEXUAL BARBARISM

Sonnie Ekwowusi argues that Big Brother Naija is a show of shame

THE AIRING OF BBNAIJA IS A CORRUPTION OF PUBLIC MORALITY AND THEREFORE UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND ILLEGAL

The bankruptcy plaguing Nigeria at the moment, aside political, social, cultural, intellectual, ideological and moral ones, is the loss of sense of public shame. When a people are no longer ashamed to steal government money, or rig election or indulge in official corruption or sexual immorality, it is an indication of the deterioration of those cherished values which ought to form the superstructures for the building of their national ethos. On May 4, 2017, for instance, some male students of Ireti Grammar School, South-West Ikoyi, Lagos, shamelessly went and gang-raped some girls of Falomo Senior High School, Ikoyi, Lagos. The Ireti boys had earlier forcefully used scissors to rip off the skirts of the Falomo Senior High School girls before commencing their gang-rape. What shocked Matthew (the person who witnessed the gang-rape) was that the incident took place in broad daylight before a motley crowd of onlookers. As the gang rape was going on, some students of Ireti Grammar School, Falomo Senior High School and passers-by who had gathered round the rapists and their girl victims did not deem it fit to rescue the victims. Instead they were cheering the rapists to victory to the astonishment of Matthew. The Lagos State government was so angry at that time that it vowed to deal with the erring students of Ireti Grammar School. I don’t know what has transpired since then. Anyway, the Ikoyi rape incident shows the loss of sense of public shame.

Another illustration of public shame is the Big Brother Nigeria (BBNaija) that is now being aired. BBNaija is a TV reality show in which a group of young men and women who look like baboons engage themselves in sexual orgy and erotic debauchery before TV watchers. In case you are in doubt, the sexual orgies of the inmates of BBNaija 2018 are available online for you to see. Some of them display their nakedness in front of the TV camera. Are the parents of these girls not worried that their daughters are posing naked in front of the TV camera? Are other parents not worried that the eyes of their children are glued to the TV watching the sexual perversities in BBNaija? Must we lose everything before it dawns on us that we are dying as a people? If the Buhari government cannot find solution to the Fulani herdsmen killings, what is stopping Nigerian parents from safeguarding the morality of their children? In the past, Multi-Choice apologised to Nigerians for airing Big brother barbarism. A year was when Maureen, Bertha, Ofuneka and other female members of the Big Brother apologised to the public and their respective families for misbehaving in front of the TV camera.

But unfortunately Big Brother barbarism is once on the screen. Most people do not know that the airing of BBNaija fragrantly violates the Child Right’s Act, 1999 Constitution, Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) 1989 signed and ratified by Nigeria, The African Charter on Human and People’s Rights signed and ratified by Nigeria; the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Code. The rights guaranteed in sections 37 (right to private life), 38 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion), 39 (right to freedom of expression and the press) 40 (right to peaceful assembly) 41 (right to movement) of the 1999 Constitution are curtailed by section 45 (1) of the same constitution to the effect that “Nothing in sections 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41 shall invalidate any law that is reasonably justifiable in a democratic society: (a) in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or (b) for the purpose of protecting the rights and freedom of other persons”. One of those laws that are reasonably justifiable in a democratic society is the NBC Code. Section 4.3.0 of the NBC Code states that “Any programme which violates social values, shows disrespect for law and order, or departs from an honourable lifestyle is forbidden. Section 3.7.1 of the NBC Code states that “obscene, pornographic or vulgar language, expression, presentations and representations are prohibited”. Section 3.9.1 of the NBC Code also stipulates that “Womanhood shall be presented with respect”. Article 18 of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights stipulates that “the family shall be the natural unit and basis of society. It shall be protected by the State which shall take care of its physical health and morals”.

Therefore the airing of BBNaija is a corruption of public morality and therefore unconstitutional and illegal. The 1999 Constitution is rooted in our national ethos which in turn is deeply ingrained in public morality. By simple definition, public morality is the preservation of a social environment conducive to ethics and inhospitable to vices. Preservation of public morality is so essential that in the popular case of SOBAYO V DAILY TIMES (1977) 40 OYSHC page 1, Justice Emmanuel Fakayode said: “If a newspaper publishes news about any person breaching any of the moral standards of society, such newspaper is discharging a moral duty, which the public in general has a reciprocal interests to receive; it is such publication that helps as social sanction to keep the society’s moral welfare where the law is deficient.”

Consequently, the NBC should wake up and perform its public functions. The argument by NBC that BBNaija is “privately subscribed” is legally indefensible. The law setting up the NBC enjoins it to promote Nigerian societal values through broadcasting. Is the NBC saying that any programme that is “privately subscribed” even if it is a programme that promotes terrorism is justified? So, what is the NBC talking about?