- Ilebaye Odiniya, the 2023 champion of Big Brother Naija, is facing scrutiny over her age claims.
- Reports suggest she may have misrepresented her age, despite her consistent statements of being in her twenties.
- She recently shared a throwback photo of her first car, reminiscing about her unexpected victory in the competition four years ago.
Big Brother Naija 2023 champion, Ilebaye Odiniya, is under scrutiny after reports surfaced suggesting she may have misrepresented her age.
The reality star recently shared a throwback photo of her first car, reflecting on how she never imagined winning the competition four years ago. She has consistently stated she is in her twenties.
However, a media outlet published a copy of her National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) identification card, which lists her birthdate as October 2004. If accurate, this would mean Ilebaye was under 18 during the 2022 auditions and still under the show’s minimum age requirement of 21 when she returned for the 2023 season.
Fans quickly reacted on social media, with some calling for her victory to be nullified or for the organisers to take legal action. Others pointed out that contestants sometimes misstate their ages, citing another housemate, Koyin, who allegedly claims to be 23 while reportedly being 25.
Neither Ilebaye nor the Big Brother Naija organisers have issued an official statement addressing the controversy.
See post below:
See some comments below:
@Lwandy_Msengana:”To be chosen as a housemate you must be 18 upwards so Multichoice won’t do anything because she chose to play as a 20Something housemate.. We all know others they used soccer players age to play the game.”
@Johnkiiings:”She came to BBN in 2022 and she also said said she was a graduate that time. How was that possible at 18 at that time?”
@Babyshindaa:”She was just a baby, 18 in bbn is crazy.”
@ElishaWeb3CM:”Can’t Multichoice sue her for the deceit?”
@Farboyweb3:”Is it possible to cancel her win?”
@queencecil_:”So she was younger when she went for bbn twice for that matter, her season and All stars. Baby girl is 21 this year.”
