ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Authorities in Nigeria have barred radio stations from taking part in a track crucial of President Bola Tinubu and his administration’s insurance policies, in response to a memo seen Friday by The Related Press.
The nation’s media regulator described the content material of “Tell Your Papa” within the memo to radio stations as “inappropriate for broadcast.”
The track is a response by musician and outspoken authorities critic Eedris Abdulkareem to latest remarks by Seyi Tinubu, the president’s son, who referred to as his father the best chief within the nation’s historical past.
Within the afrobeats observe, Abdulkareem asks the youthful Tinubu to inform his father that his insurance policies have introduced widespread hardship to Africa’s most populous nation, whereas highlighting what he calls a string of unfulfilled “empty promises.”
Since taking workplace in 2023, Tinubu’s insurance policies such because the elimination of subsidies on gasoline have hit onerous as Nigeria grapples with fluctuating costs.
Final 12 months, no less than 20 folks have been shot lifeless and tons of extra have been arrested at protests demanding higher alternatives and jobs for younger folks.
In Wednesday’s memo, the Nationwide Broadcasting Fee stated the track violated part 3.1.8 of the nation’s broadcasting code that prohibits content material that’s in “breach of public decency.” Nonetheless, the track has gone viral on social media.
Addressing the ban in an Instagram submit, Abdulkareem stated constructive criticism is all the time seen as against the law by the federal government.
“Any wonder why Nigeria hasn’t made impactful strides all these years?” he stated.
In 2004, one other of Abdulkareem’s songs, “Jaga Jaga,” was banned. It was a critique of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, which he described as corrupt.
The “bizarre ban” of the track is a violation of freedom of expression, Amnesty Worldwide stated in a press release, describing the motion as an abuse of energy.
“This clamp down on artistic freedom is an appalling reminder that artists are at the risk of being silenced,” the rights group stated.
