#BBNAIJA RICKY: The Most Nominated Man in an Election That Didn't Exist

Ricky, 33, writer, filmmaker and self-described "bad boy by necessity", the necessity being the Nigerian economy, achieved something remarkable in Week 1: he became the most nominated housemate in a nomination exercise that turned out to be entirely fake. His colleagues rose up, one after another, and nominated him for eviction with their full chests, and Biggie collected all of that hostility and announced it counted for nothing. Ricky has therefore experienced the complete Nigerian electoral cycle in seven days: massive turnout, clear results, zero consequences.

He should have seen it coming, because Ricky has been in training for institutional disappointment his entire adult life: he is a Manchester United supporter. A man who has spent over a decade emotionally investing in an expensive institution that generates drama, consumes billions and delivers nothing was always going to thrive in Biggie's house. The Glazers prepared him for MultiChoice. He arrived pre-disappointed, which in this game is a superpower.

At 33, Ricky is also the house elder statesman, sharing a building with housemates who were learning long division when he was already writing scripts. His hobbies are listed as storytelling, debating and supporting Manchester United, which is to say, his hobbies are talking, arguing and suffering. He is from Port Harcourt, a city that produces crude oil and crude honesty in equal measure, and his profile promises he is "unapologetically authentic," which is Nigerian English for "he will insult you accurately."

In the Gambit vote, Ricky polled 7.30%, narrowly escaping the unpaid promotion that claimed Aikou. This means Nigerians looked at Ricky and decided he was too dangerous to be given a secret mission, but interesting enough to keep around, the same energy with which the federal government treats Rivers State generally.

His path forward is clear. The house has already shown him its heart by nominating him en masse, and Biggie has shown him the game by voiding it. A writer could not ask for better material. If Ricky survives to the finale, the memoir alone will out-earn the grand prize. If he doesn't, Manchester United has taught him how to hold an L with grace.