The ban on Eedris’ song has a chilling effect on freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom
In response to the National Broadcasting Commission’s (NBC) decision to prohibit the song “Tell Your Papa” by Eedris Abdulkareem, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has initiated legal action against the NBC.
The song, which was supposedly critical of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, was not allowed to be broadcast on radio or television.
SERAP filed suit FHC/L/CS/797/2025 last Thursday at the Federal High Court, Lagos, seeking: “an order setting aside the arbitrary and illegal ban on Eedris Abdulkareem’s song ‘Tell Your Papa’, for being inconsistent and incompatible with the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.”
SERAP is also seeking: “an order of perpetual injunction restraining the NBC whether jointly or severally or any other authority, person or group of persons from preventing the airing of Eedris Abdulkareem’s song on all broadcast stations and other similar media platforms in Nigeria.”
“A declaration that the NBC’s directive, issued via a letter dated 9 April 2025 to all broadcast stations in Nigeria, banning the airing of Eedris Abdulkareem’s song is unlawful and inconsistent and incompatible with the rights to freedom of expression, access to information, and media freedom.
“The NBC is censoring music under the guise of ‘protecting public decency’. Public decency is not a carte blanche for banning Eedris’ song and placing a chokehold on information and suppressing peaceful dissent.
“Freedom of expression constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society and extends not only to information or ideas that are favourably received, but also to those that offend, shock or disturb in such domains as political discourse and commentary on public affairs.
“The ban on Eedris’ song has a chilling effect on freedom of expression, access to information and media freedom. The NBC has not shown that the song would impose a specific risk of harm to a legitimate State interest that outweighs the public interest in the information provided by the song.”
The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare, Ms Oluwakemi Agunbiade and Ms Valentina Adegoke, read in part: “All persons enjoy the rights to freedom of expression and creativity and to enjoy the arts.”
“The ban on Eedris’ song fails to meet the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality.
“The requirement of necessity also implies an assessment of the proportionality of the grounds, with the aim of ensuring that the excuse of ‘objectionable nature’ and ‘public decency’ are not used as a pretext to ban Eedris’ song and unduly intrude upon Nigerians’ human rights.”
“Expressions, whether artistic or not, always remain protected under the right to freedom of expression. The NBC directive is also inconsistent and incompatible with the right to freedom of artistic expression and creativity.”
“It is inconsistent and incompatible with the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and the country’s international human rights obligations to use vague and overly broad grounds of ‘objectionable nature’ and ‘public decency’ as justifications to ban Eedris’ song.”
“The action by the NBC is arbitrary, illegal, and unconstitutional, as it is contrary to the provisions of section 39 of the Nigerian Constitution, article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Nigeria is a state party.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
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