Veteran Nigerian rapper and social critic, Eedris Abdulkareem, has clarified that his latest song, “Tell Your Papa,” was not a personal attack on Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds, Abdulkareem explained that the song was a direct response to comments made by Seyi Tinubu, who had publicly declared his father as Nigeria’s best-ever president.
According to Abdulkareem, the track was not intended to malign Seyi but to call attention to the country's pressing socio-economic issues. He urged Seyi to advise his father to address critical national challenges such as insecurity, job creation, access to electricity, and a stable economic environment.
“Nigerian youths are just asking for basics: electricity, security, enabling economic environment, job creation—not palliatives,” he said.
He continued, “Why should I attack Seyi Tinubu personally? If Seyi Tinubu never talked about it, I wouldn’t have recorded a song like that. I am replying to the video that he made. If he had kept quiet, I wouldn’t have said anything. I was inspired by Seyi Tinubu to record that song.”
The release of “Tell Your Papa” has sparked controversy, leading the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to declare the song unfit for broadcast, placing an immediate ban on its airing across radio and television platforms.
The NBC's decision has drawn sharp criticism from various quarters, including renowned playwright and Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, who condemned the move as an attack on artistic freedom and free expression.
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