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Veteran Nigerian rapper, Eedris Abdulkareem, has denied targeting Seyi Tinubu in his controversial new single, Tell Your Papa , stating that the track was merely a response to comments made by the president’s son—not a personal attack. Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds on Sunday, Abdulkareem explained that the song was inspired by Seyi Tinubu’s statement in Yola, Adamawa State, in March 2025, where he declared that his father, President Bola Tinubu, is “the best president Nigeria has ever had.” According to the artist, the track is a call for accountability and a reflection of the frustrations of everyday Nigerians, rather than a diss track.
“Nigerian youths are just asking for basics: electricity, security, enabling economic environment, job creation—not palliatives,” Abdulkareem said. “So, why should I attack Seyi Tinubu personally? If Seyi never made that statement, I wouldn’t have recorded a song like that. I was simply replying to the video he made.
He inspired the song.” The song has since stirred national controversy, especially after the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) banned it from airing on radio and television, labeling it “inappropriate.” The decision has sparked widespread backlash from civil society groups, human rights organizations, and public figures, including Nobel Laureate Prof.
Wole Soyinka, who condemned the move as a dangerous return to censorship and a threat to free speech. Reflecting on his decades-long career, Abdulkareem drew parallels between Tell Your Papa and his 2004 protest anthem Nigeria Jaga Jaga , lamenting that the country’s fundamental issues remain unresolved. “Twenty-four years after Nigeria Jaga Jaga , nothing has changed.
That’s why the song is still relevant,” he added. As the controversy deepens, calls continue to mount for the NBC to reverse the ban, with groups like Amnesty International and SERAP warning against the suppression of artistic and political expression..
