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By Lizzy Chirkpi
The banby the National Broadcasting Commission of the recent single “Tell Your Papa” released by legendary rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem has continued to elicit reactions from prominent Nigerians and small international organisations.
The track, a criticism of the President Bola Tinubu-led government, has been trending on on media platforms, with the ban further drawing attention to its substance and delivery.
A Political economist and public affairs analyst, Prof Pat Utomi in his reaction, described the ban as an alarming case of censorship and a violation of constitutional freedoms.
Point Blank News previously reported that the NBC had slammed a broadcast ban on the song, declaring it “objectionable” and “unfit” for public airplay on radio and television stations across the country.
Reacting to the report of the ban, Utomi in a post on his verified X Handle (formerly Twitter) on Friday said, “Just heard NBC has banned the broadcast of Eedris Abdulkarim song critical of Villa incumbents.
“This censorship is an abuse of the constitution as the military takeover of Rivers.”
The politician recalled that during that Mr Abdulkareem similarly released a song but titled “Jaga, Jaga” under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo but he handled it humorously.
He noted that Obasanjo opted to verbally attack the musical artist rather than use state apparatus to suppress him.
According to Prof. Utomi, “Now, those who danced with glee when Fela pilloried Obasanjo are turning to state terror with those whose words do not carry like those of Fela.
“Are we moving forward or retreating?” he asked rhetorically.
On its part, Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria has berated the NBC, for banning the song describing the move as a violation of freedom of expression and the right to access information.
In a statement released on its official Facebook page, the organisation said that the ban, which categorised the song as ‘Not To Be Broadcast’ for its critical tone towards the government, is an abuse of power.
It further described the NBC’s action as unlawful, arbitrary, and deeply worrying, highlighting that categorizing the song as “Not To Be Broadcast” solely for its critical tone towards the government is an abuse of power.
The group argued that there is no legal justification under international human rights law to prohibit the song from being aired on radio and television
It therefore urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately order NBC to withdraw the ban, stressing that the song’s criticism of those in power is not grounds for censorship.
The organisation called on President Tinubu to immediately direct NBC to withdraw the ban, emphasising that the song’s criticism of those in power is not enough ground for censorship.
Similarly, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) in a statement on its X handle, described the ban as a violation of the artist’s freedom of expression and threatened legal action if the order is not reversed within the given timeframe.
“The Tinubu administration must immediately reverse the unlawful ban imposed by the NBC, which prevents Nigerian radio and TV stations from airing Eedris Abdulkareem’s new single.
“If the ban is not lifted within 48 hours, we will take the matter to court,” they warned.