10 April 2025

The National Broadcasting Commission’s blatant ban of broadcasting Eedris Abdulkareem’s song “Tell Your Papa” is a clear violation of freedom of expression, which includes the right to obtain information. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must immediately direct the NBC to withdraw the bizarre ban which violates a range of human rights. 

Categorizing the song as “Not To Be Broadcast” for solely being critical of the government and people in power is an abuse of power and is unacceptable. Nigerians have the right to freedom of expression and access to information and there is no legal justification to ban broadcasting the song on radio and television. Citing the deeply flawed and problematic Nigerian Broadcasting Code to justify the ban shows a new level of intolerance of dissenting voices. 

The ban is entirely inconsistent and incompatible with the right to access information and media freedom in Nigeria. The ban highlighted the need to urgently repeal heavy censorship regulations of NBC that have been used to curb freedom of expression in the country. 

The arbitrary and unlawful ban by the NBC would have a disproportionate and chilling effect on the work of radio and television stations in Nigeria. This clamp down on artistic freedom is an appalling reminder that artists are at the risk of being silenced. Nothing can justify suffocating creative freedom. 

The decision of NBC to ban the song is a violation of Nigeria’s international obligations under international and regional standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

It is not too late for President Bola Tinubu’s government to withdraw the ban which will have the sad repercussion of promoting censorship and generating a new wave of fear of repression.