Is MURIC Right to Threaten BBNaija For The First Time?

If you are reading this, then you must have heard that the Big Brother Naija reality TV show has strayed far enough to get itself caught on MURIC’s radar. This happened just a few days ago, and while MURIC awaits a favourable response from the government, netizens, as a result of MURIC’s call for BBNaija’s ban, are creating a hullaballoo in the cyber courtyard.

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have come up with an article like this, but, considering the numerous heart-breaking comments I have read on this issue, I don’t think my future self will forgive me if I do not go against my instincts this one time.

If we take a cursory look at it, it seems ridiculous to ask the government to ban a TV show that is clearly rated 18 and aired on a private TV channel. Yes, and from what I can tell, this is the standpoint of many Nigerians who complained that nobody is being coerced into watching the show and that MURIC, being a malposed organization in terms of priority, is sticking its nose where it is not needed.

However plausible this argument seems, if we take a careful look at the Nigerian situation, we would realize that the fact that we have a moral and cultural standard to uphold (coupled with the need to uphold it) is enough to rebuff these claims. Moreover, rating a movie or a show 18 might just be another case of REVERSE PSYCHOLOGY. Come to think of it, do you suppose minors who understand the 18 on their TV screen will tune to a different channel when an immoral scene is being displayed? And have you ever wondered why porn industries rate their videos 18 when it is clear that they don't care about our ages? I mean if they do, they wouldn’t have introduced child pornography. You see, when you make something forbidden for some people you increase their desire for that thing. That's not magic; it's reverse psychology.

No matter how hard you try to trim it down, BBNaija is pornographic, and rating it 18 is a laughable act of concern for viewers’ discretion. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that minors are totally barred from watching this show. Can anyone point out its benefit(s) to adults? Did I hear you say “fun”? Well, the idea of fun has long been distorted. Clearly, the only thing that's left for you to gain from the show is an increased level of moral decadence.

Some may counter with an argument that porn, in its major sense, is readily available on the internet. Of course, that’s true. But that category of porn is clearly defined, unlike our double-faced BBNaija. If you go searching for hardcore porn on the internet, then you’re to blame. Most people, however, are naïve. They discard porn on moral grounds and hold on to the belief that BBNaija is harmless, not knowing that their brain is slowly getting rewired the pornographic way. If you take a second look at it, you’d notice that every time the show is being aired, a higher level of nudity comes with it. So it doesn’t take a scholarly degree to know what the show will look like in the next ten years. And guess what! It won’t be YOU watching it by that time; it will be your KIDS!!!

In every way, MURIC (Muslim Rights Concern) is right to have called for its ban. In fact, not to speak against it is totally against the very foundation upon which its edifice is laid. So this shouldn’t be a question of MURIC’s priorities. No, it should be a question of whether or not the Ministry of Information and Culture and other concerned agencies and religious bodies in Nigeria will live up to expectation and take a firm stand against this menace.

What is your take on this issue? Let me know in the comments below.