Keypoints:
- NBC bans Abdulkareem’s anti-Tinubu song
- Track accuses government of broken promises
- Censorship sparks debate on hardship, free speech
NIGERIAN authorities have banned a newly released protest song by veteran musician Eedris Abdulkareem that directly targets President Bola Tinubu and highlights rising economic and security concerns across the country.
According to a report by the BBC, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has ordered TV and radio stations nationwide to stop playing the track Tell Your Papa, accusing it of violating the Nigerian broadcast code.
The NBC described the song’s content as ‘inappropriate’, ‘objectionable’, and a breach of public decency standards. The directive threatens sanctions for non-compliant broadcasters, including fines and possible suspension of licences.
The song has sparked a firestorm on Nigerian social media since its release earlier this week, with many praising it as a bold expression of public frustration, while others see it as politically incendiary.
Sharp criticism in Pidgin, Yoruba and English
In Tell Your Papa, Abdulkareem appeals to President Tinubu’s influential son, Seyi, asking him to deliver a message to his father: ‘People are dying,’ there is ‘hunger’ in the land, and Nigerians are suffering under the weight of insecurity and soaring costs.
The song mixes English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin to deliver biting lines such as ‘your papa is not trying’ and ‘he made too many empty promises’. Abdulkareem also dares Seyi Tinubu to travel by road—
rather than
by private jet—to witness the dangers faced by everyday citizens.
‘The artist is calling out real issues—hardship, broken promises, and insecurity,’ said one fan on X (formerly Twitter), echoing the song’s widespread resonance.
Economic pain behind the lyrics
Since taking office in May 2023, President Tinubu has introduced sweeping economic reforms. Chief among them was the removal of the decades-old fuel subsidy, which led to a sharp increase in petrol prices and triggered ripple effects throughout the economy.
Annual inflation has consistently exceeded 30 percent, and the price of staple food items has surged even higher. Many Nigerians have been forced to reduce their daily meals, while others have slipped further into poverty.
The government has responded with a cash transfer programme aimed at reaching 15 million vulnerable households, defending its policies as necessary short-term pain for long-term gain.
On security, authorities claim progress has been made, though many citizens remain sceptical amid continued incidents of kidnapping-for-ransom and lingering fears of a Boko Haram resurgence in the north-east.
Echoes of a past controversy
This isn’t Abdulkareem’s first brush with censorship. In 2003, he released Nigeria Jaga Jaga—a protest anthem that bluntly criticised corruption and mismanagement. Then-President Olusegun Obasanjo condemned the song and had it banned from broadcast, yet it went on to become a street anthem across Nigeria.
‘Tell Your Papa feels like a 2025 remix of Jaga Jaga,’ one commentator posted online. ‘The people haven’t forgotten how to sing truth to power.’
Despite the ban, Tell Your Papa continues to circulate widely online, with fans uploading the track across streaming platforms and encrypted messaging apps.
The controversy once again raises questions about freedom of expression in Nigeria and the role of state institutions in policing political dissent through music and media.
