Why has Nigeria banned Afrobeats song Tell Your Papa?

What in the World

• Episode: Why has Nigeria banned Afrobeats song Tell Your Papa?
• Website: What in the World
• Feed URL: https://podcasts.files.bbci.co.uk/w13xtvrv.rss
• Duration: 00:09:38
• Published: 2025-04-17 15:30

‘Tell Your Papa’ by Eedris Abdulkareem is an Afrobeats song which criticises Nigeria’s president Bola Tinubu and calls on his son, Seyi Tinubu, to let his father know that "people are dying" because of hardship and insecurity, and that there is "hunger" in the country.

After its release, Nigeria’s National Broadcast Commission (NBC) ordered TV and radio stations not to play the track. They classed it as "inappropriate for broadcast due to its objectionable nature", adding that it falls short of public decency standards.

Neither Nigeria’s president nor his son have commented on the song or the ban.

The BBC’s Makuochi Okafor explains the reaction to the song’s ban and describes what life is like for Nigerians right now.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Mimi Swaby Producers: Maria Clara Montoya, Josh Jenkins and Adam Chowdhury Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Julia Ross-Roy