Amnesty International has condemned the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) over its ban on Eedris Abdulkareem’s new song, Tell Your Papa, describing the move as a blatant violation of freedom of expression and access to information.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the human rights organisation urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately reverse the NBC’s decision, calling it a “bizarre ban” that infringes on multiple human rights protections.
“The National Broadcasting Commission’s blatant ban of broadcasting Eedris Abdulkareem’s song Tell Your Papa is a clear violation of freedom of expression, which includes the right to obtain information,” the organisation said.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must immediately direct the NBC to withdraw the bizarre ban which violates a range of human rights.”
Amnesty International accused the NBC of misusing its regulatory authority by classifying the song as “Not To Be Broadcast” simply because it criticised the government and political leaders.
“Categorizing the song as ‘Not To Be Broadcast’ for solely being critical of the government and people in power is an abuse of power and is unacceptable,” the group said. “There is no legal justification to ban broadcasting the song on radio and television.”
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According to the statement, the decision—based on the “deeply flawed and problematic” Nigerian Broadcasting Code—signals growing intolerance of dissenting voices and is incompatible with media freedom in a democratic society.
The group further warned of broader consequences on the country’s creative and media industries, saying, “The arbitrary and unlawful ban by the NBC would have a disproportionate and chilling effect on the work of radio and television stations in Nigeria. This clampdown on artistic freedom is an appalling reminder that artists are at the risk of being silenced.”
Amnesty International also pointed out that the NBC’s action violates Nigeria’s commitments under both international and regional human rights instruments.
“The decision of NBC to ban the song is a violation of Nigeria’s international obligations under international and regional standards, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” the statement read.
Concluding, the organisation called on the federal government to rethink its approach to dissent and creativity.
“It is not too late for President Bola Tinubu’s government to withdraw the ban which will have the sad repercussion of promoting censorship and generating a new wave of fear of repression,” Amnesty said.