As hundreds of morally depraved youths, street urchins and miscreants trooped out on Thursday May 3, to herald the 2018 winner of BB Nija Reality show, Miracle Igbokwe who was honoured with Ambassador of Education award by the Imo State Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Imolites have raised their voices in tumultuous query as to the qualification for such award in a society like Imo where culture, religion and education are held in high esteem. For the ninety days that the BB Nija Reality show lasted on the tube all over Nigeria and other parts of Africa it received wide condemnation in churches, and the media as it tended to promote immorality, naivety and irresponsibility.
It would be recalled that the institution where one of the participants Nina emerged, it was alleged that the authorities were quoted as saying that the girl who was having sex on the National TV with her partner would go for moral reorientation.
Many Imolites young and old have been questioning the rationale behind the Award by Governor Okorocha who is the self acclaimed commander of free education in Nigeria trying to find out the type of education this person will impact on us. Several youths have gone haywire on social media condemning the Award ceremony with one fellow stating that both housemates Nina and Miracle had sex on television and the government chose to appreciate one of them and left the other.
Educationists and education managers want to know the quality of free education the state chief executive wants to propagate. Is it education with dignity, morally based or the one based on pornography, licentiousness and other immoral acts for money?
When contacted on phone while the hullabaloo lasted, an educationist Professor Protus Uzoma stated that there is long distance between education and entertainment adding that the reality show may be accepted in the modern world of entertainment but not in education.
He stated that education has a lot to do with morality and character which is why, when presenting a certificate to a graduand it is followed with the clause, having been found worthy in CHARACTER AND LEARNING adding that while he has nothing against the recipient but he has a grouse with the governor. “What moral justification and association do we have with a man who came first in immoral act.
This Award as far as education is concerned should have gone to someone or scholar who merited it or distinguished self in a field of learning or discipline, in a morally depraved society the governor is on his own and Imolites should not be associated with this root of moral decadence nor pass it on to the younger generation.
On his own, Prosper Iwundu former SUG President, Imo State Polytechnic, on social media posted “this is what they want (Govt) starve the masses, then give them some peanuts, then out of hunger, these ones will have participated in this show of shame”. Whereas in his comment Godwin Nduka, Director of Agabag Computer Institution Port Harcourt stated “I do not know what they are celebrating Miracle for”.
However, Mr. Sly N.D was of the opinion that “both Nina and Miracle had public sex in the Reality show but Imo government decided to celebrate Miracle, who was made Education Ambassador but Nina was not made anything because of her immorality”.
A respondent on Douglas road, from the upper part of the country had this is say “Our religion and culture do not and will not condone this type of show or practice not to talk of heralding it”, what do you imbibe to the younger ones, Islam forbids it and the Koran condemns it”.
However it was jubilation and fanfare galore in Owerri as a huge crowd and long motorcade of fans paraded from the government house through the streets carrying the portrait of winner of the BB Nija and that of the state governor causing traffic jam and holdup.
