REVEALED: BBNaija ‘Lockdown’ house costs N2.5bn to set up

It cost about N2.5 billion to set up the house currently used for the 2020 edition of the Big Brother Naija (BBNaija) reality TV show, according to sources close to the show’s organisers.

TheCable Lifestyle learnt that the cost of the edifice was not unconnected to the newly introduced structures included for this year’s edition of the show.

The figure “includes construction costs of over N300 million, N2 billion spent on production equipment such as consoles, cameras, microphones, cables, lighting, audio, and so on. Hundreds of millions also went into the provision of utilities, information technology and safety systems, building modifications, COVID-19 adaptations to the house among others.”

Multichoice, organisers of the show, also “spent an additional N1 billion or more, on the actual production of the show, including the engagement of over 300 full-time employees and talent involved in the production of the show, in and outside the BBNaija house.”

Other structures include a personal suite comprising of a private bedroom, fitted bathroom, and a personal lounge/sitting area for head of house (HoH) and a salon for the housemates.

The development comes at about the same time when TheCable Lifestyle also learnt that the show would boost the Nigerian economy by about N2 billion.

The fifth edition of the show started on July 19 and has since been stirring discussions as the battle for the N85 million grand prize heats up.

Multiple sources had earlier told TheCable how Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, had asked the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to take the reality show off the air, citing fears of a possible spread of COVID-19 among housemates.

You can also take a look inside this year’s colourful BBNaija ‘Lockdown’ house.