Give us the power to go after BBNaija & Bobrisky – Otunba Runsewe wants to stop nudity in Nigeria

Otunba Segun Runsewe, the Director-General of the National Council for Arts and Culture (NCAA), has asked the House of Representatives to give his council powers to go after organizers of Big Brother Nigeria over nudity in the reality TV show.

Runsewe, who made the call on Tuesday, October 4, also sought power to go after crossdressers like Bobrisky. 

While appearing before an ad hoc committee investigating the duplication of ministries, departments and agencies, Runsewe stated that nudity, as displayed by the organizer of the popular show, is against the culture of Nigeria.

The DG stated that proper amendment of the council’s act would allow them to go after BBN organizers and crossdressers like Bobrisky.

“I am the first person who took Big Brother Nigeria to NBC to report them because they were having… I took it up, and Big Brother (organizers) tried to reach me, and I told them that if the culture in other parts of the world is to be naked – nudity, etc., they should not bring it to Nigeria because our culture is rich and it respects the integrity of our country.

This honourable House needs to empower us with just a legal framework, and that nonsense will stop,” he said.

National Broadcasting Commission

The National Broadcasting Commission is the broadcast regulator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The commission was set up on August 24, 1992, by Decree 38 of 1992, later amended as an act of the National Assembly by Act 55 of 1999 and now known as National Broadcasting Commission Laws of the Federation 2004, CAP N11 to among other responsibilities, regulate and control the broadcasting industry in Nigeria.

The commission is known for sanctioning ownership or operation of radio and television stations, including cable television service, direct satellite broadcast and any other medium of broadcasting, radio and television stations. 

Bobrisky
Bobrisky is a Nigerian transgender woman and LGBT personality. She is also known for her presence on the social media apps Snapchat and Instagram.

She became recognized as being highly controversial on social media for not adhering to conservative Nigerian standards. Bobrisky has a significant following on social media. She was able to garner traffic to her Snapchat account when she claimed she had a lover who is assumed to be of masculine gender despite the law in Nigeria stating that same-sex relationships are an offence punishable by up to 14 years imprisonment.

 On July 8 2021, she revealed a new physical appearance after undergoing surgery to become more feminine.

She has also advised upcoming transgender individuals to undergo proper surgical enhancement procedures to be who they genuinely want to be.

Big Brother Naija

Big Brother Naija, formerly known as Big Brother Nigeria, is a Nigerian reality competition television series based on the Big Brother television franchise. For the show, contestants live in an isolated house and compete for a large cash prize and other material prizes at the show’s end by avoiding being evicted from the house by viewers who vote for their favourite housemates to remain in the front.

The show’s first season aired on M-Net and DStv Channel 37 from March 5 to June 4 2006. The auditing company of Alexander-Forbes verified the voting results.