Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has slammed the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) for banning Eedris Abdulkareem’s latest song Tell Your Papa. The song, which took a jab at President Tinubu’s son Seyi and addressed Nigeria’s harsh economic realities, was tagged “objectionable” by NBC and removed from radio and TV. Soyinka, writing from New York University, Abu Dhabi, described the ban as a return to military-style censorship and a direct attack on freedom of expression.
Soyinka said, “My position is that such a progressive move by the government and its agencies does not go far enough. It is not only the allegedly offensive record that should be banned, the musician himself should be proscribed.” He was sarcastically criticising the extent of censorship and called the act a slippery slope into dictatorship. According to him, any government that only accepts praise-singers is heading into chaos.
The Ban Promotes the Artist Instead of Silencing Him
In a strongly worded statement, Soyinka ridiculed the ban, noting that it only made Abdulkareem more popular. “The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion. Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him.” He stressed that government repression of critical music and art is not new in Nigeria, and history has shown that it only emboldens the voices they try to silence.
Soyinka described the move as “boring, time-wasting, and subversive.” He warned that this kind of censorship encourages other forms of abuse of power where state authorities go after critics and even use the courts to wear them out. He insisted that banning music, cartoons, or other artistic expressions is a threat to Nigeria’s democracy and image in the world.
Mob Killings and Impunity Fuel National Tragedy
Soyinka didn’t stop at censorship. He condemned the recent mob killings in Edo State where 19 people were killed and compared it to the tragic case of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto in 2022. According to him, “The horror is not in numbers but in the act itself.”
He blamed the growing culture of impunity in Nigeria for the rise in mob killings and warned that failure to punish the perpetrators gives others the license to kill. “As long as the culture of impunity is given the sheerest strain of legitimacy… such gruesome assaults… will continue to prevail,” he said.
He added that the victims’ killers are in plain sight, and there are witnesses, yet nothing is done. He described the acts as “senseless slaughter” and said the country must not stop demanding justice.
Freedom of Expression Is Not Optional
Soyinka warned that any government that only tolerates praise and not criticism is heading towards destruction. He urged NBC and others responsible for the ban to reverse their actions. He reminded the public that freedom of speech is not a hidden right; it is loud, public, and must be defended. His message was clear: Nigeria must resist the return to censorship and demand accountability in all forms of injustice.
