‘Tinubu is best father to Seyi, but worst president of Nigeria’

Ace Nigerian rapper Eedris Abdulkareem has criticised President Bola Tinubu and his son, Seyi, over the country’s economic hardship and policies.

In March, the young Tinubu, during a political event in Yola, Adamawa State, described his father as “the greatest president in the history of Nigeria,” a comment that sparked widespread reactions.

Speaking on Sunday on Channels Television’s Rubbin’ Minds, Eedris, known for his socially conscious music, maintained that the young Tinubu lacks the moral authority to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.

Mr Abdulkareem’s remarks on the show were a response to the president’s son’s remarks.

“He lacks the charisma and purpose to express himself,” Mr Abdulkareem said. “Tinubu is the best father to Seyi, but he is the worst president of Nigeria. Nigerian youths don’t have jobs and are talkless of food to eat. Let Seyi travel by road without security — let him feel what Nigerians are going through.”

Tell Your Papa

PREMIUM TIMES reported that “Tell Your Papa”, Eedris’ latest single, gained traction on social media and public discourse before the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) declared the track unfit for broadcast, directing radio and television stations nationwide to refrain from airing it on Thursday.

During the interview, the controversial rapper said the track was a response to the young Tinubu’s public declaration that his father is Nigeria’s greatest president. The singer also called for action amid the country’s worsening economic and security conditions.

“Nigerian youths are just asking for basics: electricity, security, enabling economic environment, job creation and not palliatives,” he said. “If Seyi Tinubu never talked about it, I wouldn’t have recorded a song like that. I am replying to the video that he made. Seyi Tinubu inspired me to record that song.”

In “Tell Your Papa”, Mr Abdulkareem urges the young Tinubu to “tell his father” to confront Nigeria’s deepening socio-economic crisis.

The rapper drew parallels between the new song and his controversial 2004 hit Nigeria Jaga Jaga, which was banned under then-President Olusegun Obasanjo for its searing critique of Nigeria’s leadership.

“Twenty-four years later, Jaga Jaga is still relevant,” he said. “That says a lot.”

Music as activism

This isn’t Eedris’s first use of music to challenge the status quo. In 2024, he released Emi Lo Kan, a biting critique of President Tinubu and Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God.

The song denounced economic hardship, hunger, and alleged discrimination against the Igbo ethnic group.

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He also famously released a Letter to Mr Obasanjo in 2018, accusing the former president of being “Nigeria’s problem.” That same year, NBC fined Jay FM 101.9 in Jos N100,000 and prohibited airplay of politically charged songs, including Falz’s This is Nigeria, Wande Coal’s Iskaba, and Olamide’s See Mary, See Jesus.

In response to the ban, he took to Instagram to express his views, stating that the action clearly indicated the government’s intolerance for dissent and truth-telling in Nigeria.

“It’s obvious that in Nigeria, truth and constructive criticism is always deemed a big crime by the government,” he wrote. “This administration, led by President Bola Tinubu, is going on record as one of the most insensitive, vindictive, and grossly maleficent ever.”

He added that the NBC’s ban reminded him of the suppression of Nigeria Jaga Jaga in the Mr Obasanjo era, noting that censorship of protest music has become a recurring pattern in Nigeria’s democracy.

“In just under two years of Tinubu’s presidency, the results are frighteningly abysmal. This is a fact known to all Nigerians, regardless of religion, tribe, or political affiliation — except for a few happy slaves grovelling for crumbs from their paymaster’s table,” he stated.

Quoting the late Uthman Dan-Fodio, the singer added: “The conscience is an open wound; only the truth can heal it. Aluta continua.”