...Aside from the winner of the different seasons of the Big Brother Naija reality show, one contentious figure whose image is built around a pool of dissension and discordance springs up. This person's role is likened to the proverbial mentally-deranged woman dancing at the market place. Everybody enjoys the sight of the exhibition of shame except the relatives of the person.

The prodigal figure suddenly becomes popular and gathers so many fans not because he or she is loved or doing some things right but because there is a need to instil some madness in the reality show for the purpose of entertaining the audience. This sort of craze exhibited by the person is tagged the needed 'spice'. This person in question becomes an irritant who is to a large extent unwanted and disliked by the other housemates. For this reason, the person is regularly put up for the weekly eviction but the fans who are enjoying the lunacy displayed by the individual dole out cash to support the person with votes to keep him or her in the house.

In simple terms, they draw so much entertainment from the flagrant bad behaviours of the person and other misdeeds which might reek of poor upbringing, undying bad habits, lack of courtesy, pride and other oddities one should be ashamed of in saner climes. This is a winning strategy which the show has been projecting since 2017 thereby making celebrities out of uncouth and unrefined individuals of questionable characters. In 2017, the maiden user of this strategy was Romania returnee, Tokunbo Idowu, 35, self-styled Tboss. She was a very caustic figure who went hard on individuals who crossed her path, she was very defensive, outrightly boastful and she promoted the culture of being a 'king' over men. At some point, she boasted that she was going to expend the N25 million prize money of the show in just one week and that men with private jets flock around her. She was soon branded a 'strong woman' and a feminist by individuals who have a jaundiced view of feminism. Her beauty as well as free will to show off her boobs and bum also endeared her to some perverts who must have pictured her in their heads while engaging in the act of masturbation.

Tboss, later on, became more popular when a fellow housemate, Kemen was accused of groping her while they shared a bed together in the middle of the night. She went on to become a finalist at the end of the show. Several business brands rushed to grab their share of the attention she was getting from the general public. Tboss would later on in 2019 have a child without a father. As Tboss' antics were televised and supported by her fans on social media, a younger generation was also watching and some of them who wanted to participate in the subsequent edition of the show adopted her style deemed the winning strategy or game plan. One a normal day, every housemate is expected to have a game plan that will enable him or she outlast the other 19 or more competitors gunning for the prize money that runs into millions of naira.

In the year 2018 when another season of the reality show started, a younger lady named Cynthia Nwadiora, 26, aka CeeC copied Tboss' style and even made it worse with her 'rare talent' of deep bitterness. She picked a sparring partner in a lopsided show and made a fool of him. The partner, Tobi Bakre who was hopelessly in love with CeeC was so mesmerized that there were frequent incidents of outrage by the audience who took to social media to express their grievances. From Tobi, CeeC spread her tentacles across the house and started clashing with other housemates. Just like Tboss, she once claimed that some of the housemates are privileged to share the same roof with her. As expected, the audience who are like fans of combat games cheering at the sight of blood was excited about the drama she brought to the house and they laboured to keep her in the show till the final day. She even went close to winning the reality show. When the show ended, CeeC like Tboss was swarmed by brands with endorsements. They just wanted a bit of the attention she was getting. It was a move for publicity and subsequently profit. It's a trend in Nigeria; Instagram comedienne Etinosa Idemudia started getting endorsement deals and more movie roles after she stripped Unclad during a live video session on Instagram. These mushroom companies associated with her just liked the fact that she was in the news, the reason means nothing to them.

As CeeC gathered over a million followers on Instagram in a matter of months, another younger lady was also watching her and hoping to be like her and this person is Tacha. I am sure Tacha must have boasted to herself of her ability to behave worse than the sullen CeeC in the bid to be rewarded for it. The self-acclaimed Port Harcourt First Daughter made it to the current season 4 of the reality show of the year 2019 and she has been stinging anybody that comes her way. Men like Seyi and Mike have been verbally battered severally by Tacha. She even extended her rudeness to the organizers of the show. Something her predecessors in the business of bad behaviours were scared to attempt. In fact, Tacha is so dramatic that she has been tagged the 'real pepper' of the show. Tacha who carries herself as a celebrity expressed similar views with CeeC by claiming her colleagues in the house should cherish the opportunity of being around her. She also bragged that she has achieved a lot at the age of 23 even more than what Seyi, the grandson of late elder statesman, Chief Obafemi Awolowo has achieved at 30. One can perceive a similar script being acted out by the controversial trio.

Tacha's madness is so loved that she has been getting the highest votes during eviction sessions. The dancer who garnered over 200,000 followers from practising all manners of obscenities on Instagram is so sure she is doing what the audience wants that she boasted from the inception of the show that she would win it. According to her, she has fans who vote with the last drop of their blood to keep her in the show. So far, she seems very right. Tacha, the ambassador of colourism has suddenly become one of the hottest entertainment topics on social media all for the wrong reasons.

Inasmuch as many believe the BBNaija show is a mere game one should read deep meanings into, the trio of Tboss, CeeC and Tacha are reflections of the stench and rot among the 21st century Nigerian females needlessly competing with men under the guise of feminism. These women have lost their African values as they compare themselves with their counterparts in the western world. They are women with an embarrassing sense of entitlement, importance and egotism. Most of them can't cook, clean or even maintain healthy relationships. They are bereft of intelligence and riddled with an acute inferiority complex. They are the ones that easily go under the knife to enlarge their boobs, hips and bums to boost their sex appeal. They never pay attention to what they have upstairs. They value having large followings on social media than real-life achievements. These people support Tboss, CeeC and Tacha because these individuals are reflections of them, so they relate with them easily. This is a far-reaching quandary in Nigerian society. Young men seeking for future partners will admit that finding sex is as easy as breathing in and out while finding a wife could be as hard as stopping the politicians from stealing public funds. We are sitting on a keg of gunpowder and as long as the reality show is allowed to strive, more figures like the trio will surface with stinking characters.

It will be worse if Tacha realizes her dream of winning the reality show and bagging N60 million in prizes. The wrong person is about to be positioned at the centre stage as a role model. Ace comedian Basketmouth was forced to admit that he would be depressed should Tacha win the show in a couple of weeks. As a father and adult, he knows what it means to have someone like Tacha as an influencer. We can only pray to God for a spiritual intervention!

Osayimwen Osahon George is a journalist and a doctoral student at the University of Ibadan.

Colosseum of 21st Century Naija!

Good piece! We are indeed sitting on a keg of gunpowder as long as the reality show is allowed to strive.

Intelligent people do not however share this Tboss, CeeC and Tacha's "jaundiced view of feminism", or slay queen, appropriately named. And the less intelligent should endeavour to educate themselves.

Spoilt a fantastic piece with the introduction of their lack of 'African values'.

Once a Nigerian man starts yapping about lost African values, be sure he means no good.

That said, I believe the trio of T-boss, CeeC and Tasha are alteragos of a lot of people hence the cult-like followership.

Seems Tacha's strategy went a bit too far. Lol.

whew, I didnt read all that.

Clearly, bbnaija is just to monitor others in general, it's not a secret.

Spying things.

@OP, I was beginning to wonder if people would watch the show if everybody was quiet, humble, respectful.

And besides everybody can't act the same way, that's just a reflection of the people and society we live in.

You just voiced out my sentiments. How would they get traffic and money if everybody on the show was acting nice, friendly, respectful etc.

budaatum:
Colosseum of 21st Century Naija!

Good piece! We are indeed sitting on a keg of gunpowder as long as the reality show is allowed to strive.

Intelligent people do not however share this Tboss, CeeC and Tacha's "jaundiced view of feminism", or slay queen, appropriately named. And the less intelligent should endeavour to educate themselves.

Clowns keep associating bad behavior from ladies to feminism. Before feminism were ladies all saints?are none feminist all saints? They forget chimamanda adichie a role model is a feminist. Even on NL here,we have feminists with good character online like libchick etc
When feminism topic is brought up,bigots envisage rude man haters....they don't picture female pilots or scientists or Nobel laureates...they don't picture malala,Mrs random kuti,etc and all strong women that have shaped history but uncouth gals...
Let their minds keep deceiving them