Music executive Ubi Franklin has thrown a sharp verdict at Big Brother Naija, saying the reality giant still makes money and still has fans, yet no longer owns the national conversation the way it once did. He made the remark on X on Monday, September 28, 2026, as Season 11, tagged Show Ya Sef, heads into its closing stretch.
Franklin compared the franchise to a charting artiste who has not quite left the stage.
“Big Brother Naija reminds me of a massive artist who is still successful, still performing and still has fans, but no longer commands the conversation like before,” he wrote.
Then he tightened the knife.
“That’s where Big Brother is today. It’s still a big brand, but the cultural relevance isn’t what it used to be.”
His prescription was blunt. Success, he argued, is no longer the same thing as relevance.
“Sometimes being successful isn’t enough. You have to go back to the drawing board, re-strategize, reposition and find a way to become relevant again.”
The post followed a colder line from artiste manager Bizzle Osikoya, who wrote that he had “actually forgot BBNaija still going on.” That kind of shrug would have been unthinkable in the years when eviction nights emptied group chats and housemates became household names overnight.
This season began on July 26 with 24 housemates chasing a record N160 million prize package. The house has since been thinned by evictions, a voluntary exit and a disqualification, and the finale is slated for early October.