Big Brother Nigeria is not a Nigerian Brand

Lately, the media, old and new, have been awash with the talk of Big Brother Nigeria, BBN. Views from viewers have been divergent, all the while, from the old and the young. And sometime, when you remember that those who just turned 18, the qualifying age to watch BBN, were only just enrolling in Primary School by the last BBN staged in the second quarter of 2006, then you can be more understanding with some opinions.

The raging question is why Big Brother NIGERIA is being staged outside Nigeria? When you tag something Nigeria, how could you take it out of Nigeria? What effrontery! That’s quite rational, right? Logically, we believe we’re taking this too on, just as we’re always quick to take on other contending issues. Much so, even the Information Minister had to call for an “investigation” into the matter, after his office was inundated with queries from his compatriots.

For me, there’s only one position, only one explanation, and only one rationalisation:

Big Brother Nigeria is not a Nigerian brand!

Forget whatever is being said, it never was! Big Brother Nigeria was only created by a foreign company for a Nigerian audience. It is a brand in Nigeria, targeting Nigerian audience, not a Nigerian brand. Do you remember how we studied Literature in English, differently from English Literature? Don’t be fooled.

Endemol, the concern that created, and runs Big Brother franchises globally, operates in more than 30 countries worldwide, including in South Africa, the only African country with such presence. The last time I checked, Endemol did not give the Big Brother franchise to any Nigerian, Nigerian company or Nigerian government.

The broadcasters of the contest, and franchise owner for Big Brother Nigeria, MNet, has attributed the choice of filming the second season of BBN in South Africa to the harsh economic realities in Nigeria, a reason which is not far-fetched. The company also wanted to ensure that the quality of the show was not compromised.

"Staging the show in a Big Brother facility that already exists, and has been specially built for such purposes – is not only cost-effective but has also allowed M-Net and Endemol to maintain the same excellent production values as with previous Big Brother editions whilst meeting tight timelines," the company added.

The main requirement from Endemol, is that the contestants must come from each of the countries in the region where the show airs (in case of BBA); or from country where it airs (BBN); and this is being satisfied, airing in Nigeria. Save for the hype, there was hardly anyway the 45 countries viewing the show across Africa would have been able to tell where the show was being shot. Led by a Nigerian series director, not much has changed in the production, unless improved.

Taking the production of the BBN contest to South Africa is purely a business decision, not an emotional one. Nothing is yet amiss as we still view the contest on the same bouquet, from the same service provider, 24/7 just like the last one. So what’s the furore, you might ask? National pride, the one we love to base on emptiness.

But don’t we all know that part of the reasons the property owners might have resorted to staging BBN in their home country of South Africa would be for Nigeria’s lack of quality, competitive infrastructure? Do you know how much will be saved on powering the activity alone, at N258/litre of diesel, over the 77 days, and that’s excluding set-up and take-down time?

Infrastructural deficiency is the reason Diageo Africa has its headquarters in South Africa, and not in Nigeria which is the largest market for Guinness. It is the reason companies like Dunlop and Michellin have relocated from Nigeria to neighbouring Ghana with superior infrastructure. And South Africa, undoubtedly, is this continent’s best developed country.

So, would you consider BBC Hausa Service a Nigerian brand? Or was Volkswagen Igala a Nigerian brand? Or Toyota Sequoia an American brand? If Dangote Cement manufactures and names a brand Lusaka Cement, from its plant in Zambia, will that cement brand be a Zambian brand? If SuperSport, for instance, were to design a CatchThemYoung programme, Naija YoungStars, and taking Nigerian teenage football sensations for a grooming session in London, would we also protest, saying they’re taking “a Nigerian thing” outside Nigeria?

The organisers, MNet/Multichoice, have done the right thing putting in there Nigerian participants. With no prejudice to the position of the participants themselves, I bet most, if not all of them, their families and friends, would rather have the contest staged in South Africa than Nigeria.

Whatever happened to our other Nigerian service providers, Consat and that HITV? Businesses are in Nigeria, first to do business, not altruism. Nigeria and Nigerians should not expect to be spoon-fed; we can develop our facilities, infrastructure and a competitive business culture. Quota system or ‘continental character’ is not in the AU Charter.

By ‘Dele Dele-Olukoju, Marketing Communication strategist and publisher of the online Marketing Communication Digest. He was head of Richardson & Briggs, when the agency managed the BBN Sponsorship for Guinness Nigeria in 2006. Guinness was main sponsor. He writes from Lagos, Nigeria. @deleolukoju +234 807 481 2389.