The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has issued a directive restricting the broadcast of “Tell Your Papa,” a politically charged song by Nigerian rap artist Eedris Abdulkareem.
Naija News reports that the song takes aim at Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, urging him to speak to his father about the ongoing economic difficulties and widespread insecurity across the country.
Released recently and shared on 𝕏 (formerly Twitter), “Tell Your Papa” contains sharp critiques of the current administration.
Abdulkareem raps, “Seyi, tell your papa country hard. Tell your papa people dey die. Tell your papa this one don pass jagajaga.
“Seyi, how far? I swear your papa no try. Too much empty promises. On behalf of Nigerians, take our message to him; kidnappers dey kill Nigerians.
“Seyi, try travel by road without your security make you feel the pains of fellow Nigerians. You dey fly private jets, insecurity no be your problem.”
On April 9, 2025, NBC formally responded with a memo signed by Susan Obi, the Coordinating Director of Broadcast Monitoring. The commission labeled the song as unsuitable for broadcast, citing its content as offensive and inappropriate under national broadcasting standards.
The song was declared Not To Be Broadcast (NTBB) in line with Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, which restricts the airing of material that may be considered indecent or harmful to public sensibilities.
Although the track has gained popularity on social media platforms, NBC stressed that its message fails to meet the principles of ethical and responsible broadcasting.
In the memo titled “Restriction on broadcasting ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem,” the commission stated:
“The National Broadcasting Commission has identified the song ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem, currently trending on social media, as content deemed inappropriate for broadcast due to its objectionable nature.”
“It is therefore classified as Not To Be Broadcast (NTBB), as it violates Section 3.1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.”
“The commission requests that your station exercises discretion and refrains from airing this song to maintain responsible broadcasting standards.”
“Your cooperation and commitment to upholding greatly appreciated. Thank you, Susan Obi -Coordinating Director, Broadcast Monitoring.”
