Nigerian hip-hop veteran Eedris Abdulkareem has publicly alleged that he was offered a N200 million bribe by an individual claiming to be a senator, in an attempt to silence his activism and his latest protest song, “Tell Your Papa.” This revelation comes amidst the National Broadcasting Commission’s (NBC) ban of the controversial track.
In a video circulating on social media, Abdulkareem detailed a phone call where the individual, claiming to be a senator, offered him the substantial sum under the guise of “underground support.” The alleged bribe was offered after the caller claimed to have been in a meeting with Seyi Tinubu, a son of President Bola Tinubu, and other government officials.
“So I got a call from one criminal who claimed to be a honourable; he didn�t even allow me to hear his name. After claiming to be a honourable, at the end of the call when I asked him what his name was, he claimed to be a senator,” Abdulkareem stated in the video. “He told me that he was in a meeting yesterday with Seyi (a son to President Bola Tinubu), and some government officials. He said, �They are going to call you and bribe you, don�t listen to them, we are going to be sponsoring you underground�. I then asked him, �who told you that I need anything�?�
Abdulkareem said he immediately rejected the offer, questioning the motive behind the alleged attempt to manipulate him. “Immediately I heard his voice, I knew he was sent by them. So, I told him I was not interested. He said, �We will give you N200m, don�t even listen to them�. So, I asked him, the video I shot, was it you who sponsored me underground?� You guys should go and rest somewhere, I am not interested. Thieves, may God punish all of you. It�s me that you guys want to record for caricature; you people are insane. I have prepared for you people a long time ago,” he said.
The NBC’s ban of “Tell Your Papa,” a song critical of political leadership and economic hardship, has sparked widespread condemnation. The Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN) and the Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have criticized the ban as an attack on freedom of expression.
PMAN warned that the ban would only amplify the song’s reach, while MRA accused the NBC of acting as a “propaganda agency” rather than an impartial regulator. “The NBC has completely confused its role as a supposedly independent media regulatory body with that of a propaganda agency charged with shielding the government from criticism or embarrassment,” said Ayomide Eweje, Programme Officer at MRA.
Abdulkareem’s allegations and the subsequent backlash against the NBC have ignited a national conversation about censorship, freedom of expression, and the role of protest music in Nigeria’s democratic space.
