International Journal of Sub-Saharan African Research (IJSSAR)

Background: The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) banned Timaya’s Ukwu music video in 2013. The ban generated divergent reactions among members of the public, raising questions about the justification for the Commission’s action and its broader role in regulating broadcast content in Nigeria. Objectives: The study investigated how undergraduates of the University of Lagos perceive the ban. Specifically, it sought to ascertain the proportion of students who had watched Timaya’s Ukwu music video and examine the relationship between exposure to the video and attitudes towards its ban; determine students’ attitudes towards the video; examine their opinions about the NBC’s ban; and identify the sociocultural factors influencing their opinions.
Method: The survey research method was adopted, with a questionnaire serving as the data collection instrument. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 400 respondents. Results: The findings revealed that 93.5% of the respondents had watched Timaya’s Ukwu music video, indicating a high level of exposure among the students. Furthermore, 62.5% considered the video good and acceptable.
Conclusion: The findings indicated that 37.5% of the respondents strongly disagreed with the ban, while 21% disagreed with it. Despite this opposition to the ban, the findings also indicated that the video contradicted the religious beliefs of the respondents. Keywords: Students’ perception, National Broadcasting Commission, music video ban, Timaya’s Ukwu music video, broadcast regulation