Veteran Nigerian rapper and social critic, Eedris Abdulkareem, has dismissed claims that his recent song “Tell Your Papa” is a personal attack on Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. In a televised interview, Abdulkareem clarified that the track was inspired by public comments made by Seyi and was intended to spotlight the prevailing socio-economic challenges in the country.
Appearing on Rubbin’ Minds, a Channels Television programme, on Sunday, Abdulkareem explained that his latest work is a direct response to Seyi Tinubu’s public endorsement of his father as “Nigeria’s best-ever president” during an event in Yola, Adamawa State, in March 2025.
“If Seyi Tinubu never said what he said, I wouldn’t have recorded a song like that,” Abdulkareem said. “I was inspired by his statement. It’s not personal. I just wanted to ask him to tell his father the truth about how ordinary Nigerians are suffering.”
In the song, which has now been banned from radio and television broadcasts by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Abdulkareem calls on the younger Tinubu to convey the frustrations of the average Nigerian to his father. The artist emphasized that the demands of Nigerian youths remain basic and consistent: electricity, security, job creation, and an enabling economic environment—not short-term palliatives.
The NBC’s swift decision to ban the song has triggered widespread criticism, with many Nigerians, including Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka, describing it as a worrying return to censorship and a suppression of free speech.
Reflecting on his decades-long advocacy through music, Abdulkareem recalled the controversy surrounding his earlier hit “Nigeria Jaga Jaga,” released 24 years ago. “Sadly, that song is still relevant today because not much has changed,” he said.
Abdulkareem also offered advice to Seyi Tinubu, urging him to avoid the spotlight if he cannot effectively address the public. “It looks more perfect when you’re silent than when you speak,” he remarked. “Next time, he should hand the microphone to the MC. He lacks the charisma and purpose to speak truthfully about Nigeria’s economic reality.”
While acknowledging that President Tinubu may indeed be a devoted father to his son, Abdulkareem insisted that this personal relationship does not reflect the lived experience of many Nigerian youths. “He has empowered Seyi, but Nigerian youths are hungry, jobless, and unsafe. I challenge Seyi to travel by road without security. Let him experience what ordinary citizens go through every day.”
© Ripples Nigeria
