Last week, Nigerian musician Eedris Abdulkareem made headlines over the ban of his new song “Tell Your Papa”, which was banned from airwaves and television stations. The NBC action has since ignited Nigerians to speak out against the government and its policies. Weekend Trust reports.
Nigerian musician and activist Eedris Abdulkareem is not one to shy away from criticism. For a period of over two decades, he has used his music to reflect on the state of the nation, repeatedly emphasising the faults of individuals in authority. Now, his latest song “Tell Your Papa” has landed him in hot water once again, as the government moves to ban the track from being played on radio and television.
The ban, enforced by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), came shortly after the release of “Tell Your Papa”, a song that takes aim at President Bola Tinubu’s administration. The track was sparked by recent comments made by Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, who publicly praised his father as the greatest Nigerian leader of all time. Eedris didn’t take that lightly. In his usual blunt style, he released a song in response, telling the younger Tinubu to “go and tell your papa” that Nigerians are not smiling.
In the song, Eedris criticises several government policies, particularly the controversial removal of fuel subsidies. Since the subsidy was removed, millions of Nigerians have felt the impact in their pockets, rising transport fares, skyrocketing food prices, and a general increase in the cost of living. Abdulkareem’s lyrics reflect the frustration many Nigerians feel. He questions how a president can be celebrated as great when the people are suffering so much.
In no particular order, part of the song says, “Seyi, tell your papa, country hard.
“Tell your papa, people dey die. Tell your papa, this one don pass jagajaga.”
“Kidnappers dey kill Nigerians, Seyi… try travel by road without your security make you feel the pains of fellow Nigerians. You dey fly private jet, insecurity no be your problem, Nigerians wey dey travel by road, some of them dey face death sentence.”
Make you tell Mr President hunger dey, anger dey, you still want make we cooperate. People dey protest, you soldiers oppress them removal of subsidy, “A bold step” they call it how much your papa don save since he remove subsidy.”
Social media has been abuzz since the ban with many users sharing snippets of the song, tagged influencers and human rights groups, and used the hashtag #TellYourPapa to amplify the message.
On X, popular influencer and critic @DanielRegha wrote “Tell Your Papa, Seyi”, a dope song by Eedris Abdulkareem. I love how he pointed out many of our problems and also created awareness about some controversies; however, he missed the chance to call out Nigerian federal lawmakers. With a better chorus, the song would’ve been a hit like “This is Nigeria” by Falz.
@heisizumichaels said, If Nigerians are aware of what’s happening and what could happen to them in the future, Eedris Abdulkareem’s “Tell Your Papa” song should have plays, replays & the messages explained to others, but they’d rather hype songs that have no moral value. Well, Nigerians love suffering.
@SantosTHEBOSS wrote, The ‘Tell Your Papa’ song was trash and headed nowhere until the clowns decided to ban it and make it popular. I didn’t even hear about it until it was banned.
@engr_shaibu_ said, NBC Just Helped Eedris Abdul Kareem Market “Seyi Tell Your Papa” Free of Charge. LOL.
@Maleekback said, “Even the agbado and garri cost die!!! Tell your papa.”
But it seems the government didn’t find the message amusing. On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, the NBC directed radio and television stations across the country to stop airing the protest track. The Commission claimed the song violated broadcasting standards, though it gave little explanation beyond that. The move has sparked outrage among Nigerians, who see the ban as another attack on freedom of expression.
Thoughts and comments from various categories of Nigerians have continued to intensify the discourse generated by the ban and one of Nigeria’s most respected voices, Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, also weighed in on the issue. In a statement released on April 13, Soyinka condemned the NBC’s decision, describing it as a troubling sign of censorship creeping back into public life. According to him, banning a protest song in this day and age only draws more attention to the very message the government is trying to silence.
He pointed out that such actions no longer go unnoticed on the global stage. “Abuse of fundamental rights is no longer a private affair,” he said. Soyinka also noted the irony of the situation, arguing that the ban would likely make the song more successful commercially. In his words, the NBC has unintentionally handed Abdulkareem free publicity. “He must be singing all the way to the bank,” he added, sarcastically praising the government for promoting the track more than any PR team could.
Soyinka didn’t stop there. He warned that any government that only surrounds itself with praise-singers and silences opposing voices is setting itself up for failure. He called on the authorities to reverse what he described as a “petulant” and “irrational” move, insisting that public regulators should not be tools for political suppression.
This is not Eedris’ first experience with censorship. In 2004, then-President Olusegun Obasanjo banned his song “Jaga Jaga,” which was a harsh criticism of poverty, corruption and misrule in Nigeria. Obasanjo even labelled the song “unpatriotic”. Despite the ban, “Jaga Jaga” became an anthem for unhappy Nigerians, particularly the youth.
Speaking on the incident, Eedris criticised the ban as another example of the government’s unwillingness to hear the truth. “They banned ‘Jaga Jaga’ in 2004. Now in 2024, they’re banning ‘Tell Your Papa’. What has changed?” he asked. “Is this the democracy we fought for?”
Social media has been abuzz since the ban. Many users have shared snippets of the song, tagged influencers and human rights groups, and used the hashtag #TellYourPapa to amplify the message. For them, the song speaks to their daily struggles, soaring food prices, an epileptic power supply, and a widening gap between the rich and poor.
Also, it’s worth noting that while the government claims the song is unfit for public consumption, the attempt to silence it has only made it more popular. Streams of the song have reportedly spiked since the ban, and discussions about the message it carries have taken over Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
The situation mirrors what happened during the era of Fela Kuti, who faced similar crackdowns for using music to challenge power. Like Fela, Abdulkareem has embraced the role of activist-musician. Though he may not top pop charts, his songs have become social tools, raw, unfiltered reflections of the nation’s realities.
While the government may continue to frown at protest music, it is becoming clear that censorship in the digital age is an uphill battle. Nigerians are still listening. They are still reacting. And they are still speaking up.
Eedris Abdulkareem may be banned from the airwaves, but his message, like that of many artists before him, refuses to be silenced.
History of silencing protest songs
Eedris Abdulkareem is not the first artist to be silenced for criticising the government through music. Over the years, Nigeria has witnessed a pattern of censorship, where songs deemed “too political” or “offensive” are pulled off the airwaves by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) or condemned by state authorities.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Nigeria’s pioneer of Afrobeat and perhaps the country’s most outspoken musical critic, faced even harsher treatment. His songs, like Zombie, which likened Nigerian soldiers to mindless followers, and Beasts of No Nation, which took aim at corrupt leaders, were banned during various military regimes. Fela was arrested multiple times, his home raided, and his music constantly targeted for “national security” reasons.
In 2018, Falz’s This is Nigeria, a cover of Childish Gambino’s viral hit, was also briefly banned from airplay. The NBC said the song contained “vulgar lyrics”, but critics argued the real issue was its bold commentary on religious hypocrisy, corruption, and police brutality.
Even more recently, artists like Burna Boy and Naira Marley have come under scrutiny for songs or statements perceived to challenge the establishment. While the bans are often justified under vague guidelines about “offensive content”, they tend to disproportionately target works that question authority or point out societal failures.
Government shouldn’t have banned the music – Analyst
A public affairs analyst, Comrade Bayo Ogunleye in a chat with our correspondent said the government shouldn’t have banned the song, noting that he was singing the reality.
According to him, things have gone worse in recent times as aptly captured by the musician.
Ogunleye, a former Chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in Lagos, said, “If you go back to the history of struggle in Nigeria, the Obasanjo government then banned Fela song and yet Fela was waxing stronger. It’s like you are promoting the musician whenever you ban his music because unless the musician is not saying the reality of time.
“Banning Idrees music who was singing about the reality of the time and passing a message through the son to the father, Nigerians are suffering, Nigeria is this, Nigeria is that, banning such a song is like giving the musician more popularity. People didn’t even know about that song until when they heard it was banned and they were looking for the music to listen to it.”
The human rights activist said to the song was actually the reality of time. (Daily trust)
