Nigerian musician Eedris Abdulkareem has sparked national debate with his new protest track “Tell Your Papa,” a fiery critique of President Bola Tinubu’s economic performance after two years in office. The Afrobeats track, delivered in Yoruba, English, and Pidgin, is directed at Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, who recently praised his father as Nigeria’s greatest leader.
In the song, Abdulkareem urges Seyi to tell his father that “people are dying” due to worsening economic hardship and rising insecurity, accusing the administration of making “empty promises.”
The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) swiftly reacted, issuing a memo on Wednesday declaring the song “inappropriate for broadcast”, citing Section 3.1.8 of the broadcasting code, which prohibits content deemed a breach of public decency.
The ban has ignited discussions around freedom of expression, government accountability, and the role of music as a tool for political resistance in Nigeria.