Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) director Gbenga Kayode has pushed back against accusations that the hit reality show exists to distract Nigerians from important national issues.
For years, critics have argued that the programme gains prominence whenever political tensions rise, leading many to believe it serves as a convenient distraction.
Kayode says that could not be further from the truth.
Speaking on the CreativiTea podcast, he insisted politics has never influenced the show’s production.
To be very honest, we never approach the Big Brother Naija show from the angle of politics or distraction. People definitely have assumptions that are not true.
Kayode explained that the show’s producers simply create an environment where strangers interact naturally, allowing viewers to watch unpredictable human behaviour unfold.
The idea is basically if you put people in this space under these conditions, what will happen? How the people would react, we don’t know. It has nothing to do with politics or distracting people.
He also rejected suggestions that BBNaija celebrates ignorance, pointing out that every winner of the reality show has earned a university degree.
Kayode’s remarks add fresh fuel to a debate that resurfaces almost every season of the popular reality series.