Authorities in have banned a song critical of President from being broadcast on radio and TV.
“Tell Your Papa” by Eedris Abdulkareem sharply criticizes after two years in office, which has seen over rising inflation and fuel prices.
Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission sent a memo to TV and radio stations describing the content as “inappropriate for broadcast.”
It also claimed the song violated a clause in the country’s broadcasting code that prohibits content that is in “breach of public decency.”
Abdulkareem has hit back at the claims and urged his fans to stream the song online instead.
“It’s obvious that in Nigeria, truth and constructive criticism is always deemed as a big crime by the government,” Abdulkareem said on social media on Thursday.
What does the song say about Bola Tinubu?
“Tell Your Papa” was released on April 6 and includes lyrics in Yoruba, English and Pidgin.
The Afrobeats track is addressed to the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, who recently said his father was the greatest leader in Nigeria’s history.
The lyrics call on him to tell his father that “people are dying” from as well as insecurity caused by armed groups.
Abdulkareem points to Tinubu’s economic policies that he says have brought widespread hardship, highlighting a string of “empty promises.”
Rights groups defend freedom of expression
Amnesty International said the “bizarre ban” on the song was a violation of .
“This clamp down on artistic freedom is an appalling reminder that artists are at the risk of being silenced,” the rights group said.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, a Nigerian legal nonprofit, has threatened to sue the government.
The incident in April is not the first time one of Abdulkareem’s songs has been banned.
In 2004, authorities banned from the airwaves his track “Jaga Jaga” in which he described then-President administration as corrupt.
Edited by: Louis Oelofse
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