By Naomi Chima
Veteran Nigerian rapper Eedris Abdulkareem’s protest track,
“Tell Your Papa,” has recorded a remarkable milestone despite being banned by
the National Broadcasting Commission.
The song, which criticises President Bola Tinubu’s
administration, has gathered the attention of several Nigerians and has been
making waves on social media.
According to the statistics on YouTube, ‘Tell Your Papa’
has 22,754 views on YouTube with 1,200 likes and the video numbers have since
skyrocketed to 82,138 views and
2,600 likes, on YouTube too, indicating
a surge in popularity amid the controversy.
On Spotify, the song has also reached a notable milestone
with over 30,116 streams, indicating that Nigerians are still streaming the
song despite the ban.
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The NBC sparked criticism after it banned “Tell Your Papa”
from airplay on April 10.
The commission cited a breach of broadcasting code, but,
Eedris Abdulkareem responded by condemning the government for suppressing
dissent and constructive criticism.
He likened the ban to the censorship of his iconic hit “Jaga
Jaga” in 2004, accusing the current administration of being “insensitive and
vindictive”.
Abdulkareem took to Instagram to express his views on the
ban, stating, “It’s obvious that in Nigeria, truth and constructive criticism
is always deemed a big crime by the government.”
The ban was also faulted by the Performing Musicians
Association of Nigeria, which predicted that the ban would be counterproductive
and make people want to stream it more.
Similarly, in a statement on Sunday, Nobel laureate Professor Wole Soyinka also
condemned the NBC over the ban, describing it as a return to the culture of
censorship and a threat to the right to free expression.