Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has strongly criticized the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for banning rapper Eedris Abdulkareem\u2019s protest song, \u201cTell Your Papa,\u201d calling the action a backward step into the dark days of censorship in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The controversial song, which directly urges Seyi Tinubu to tell his father\u2014President Bola Ahmed Tinubu\u2014that Nigerians are suffering under his administration\u2019s economic policies, was blacklisted by the NBC on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, with a directive to all broadcast stations to stop airing it.<\/p>\n
But Soyinka, in a statement released on April 13, condemned the move as \u201cpetulant irrationality\u201d and a blatant abuse of freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ban is a boost to the artist\u2019s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him,\u201d Soyinka quipped.<\/p>\n
He warned that any government intolerant of dissent and only receptive to praise-singers is on a dangerous descent into authoritarianism.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny government that is tolerant only of yes-men and women, which accommodates only praise-singers and dancers to the official beat, has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss,\u201d he stated, calling for an immediate reversal of the ban.<\/p>\n
Backing Soyinka\u2019s position, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), also slammed the NBC, describing the ban as an infringement on free speech.<\/p>\n
Speaking to THISDAY, Rafsanjani said the song simply reflects the realities faced by everyday Nigerians and likened Abdulkareem\u2019s lyrics to the timeless activism of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat has Abdulkareem said that is remarkably different from what Fela said in the past? The misgovernance, corruption, insecurity, and human rights abuses that Fela sang about are still happening today\u2014perhaps even worse,\u201d he argued.<\/p>\n
Rafsanjani added that the NBC\u2019s action has only amplified the song\u2019s reach, with more Nigerians now tuning in to listen out of curiosity and resonance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is nothing in the song that violates the Nigerian Constitution. It neither promotes violence nor endangers peace and security. The only threat it poses is to the comfort of those in power who refuse to hear the truth,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
Both Soyinka and Rafsanjani are now calling on the NBC to reconsider its decision and respect the constitutional right of Nigerians to express themselves\u2014even through music.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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