NBC Ban Eedris Abdulkareem’s ‘Tell Your Papa’ Over Criticism of President Tinubu

Nigerian musical Artist Eedris Abdulkareem’s latest track, ‘Tell Your Papa’, which targets President Bola Tinubu and highlights issues of hardship, insecurity, and hunger, has been banned from radio and television airplay by the Nigerian authorities.

In a letter to TV and radio stations, the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) ordered broadcasters not to play the song, stating that it violates the nation’s broadcast code. The commission described the song’s content as “inappropriate” and “objectionable,” adding that it fails to meet public decency standards.

The controversial track, released earlier this week, quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread discussion about Nigeria’s economic and security conditions.

In the song, Abdulkareem urges Tinubu’s influential son, Seyi, to tell his father that “people are dying,” that “there is hunger,” and that the president “is not trying.”

The lyrics, delivered in a blend of English, Yoruba, and Nigerian Pidgin, accuse Tinubu of making “too many empty promises.” Addressing the country’s worsening insecurity, Abdulkareem dares Seyi to travel by road instead of flying in a private jet to understand what everyday Nigerians face.

Abdulkareem is no stranger to controversy. In 2003, he released Nigeria Jaga Jaga—a song that critiqued the country’s state of affairs and was similarly banned.

Then-President Olusegun Obasanjo condemned the track and publicly lashed out at the artist, but the song nonetheless became a nationwide anthem.