Wole Soyinka Condemns NBC Ban on Abdulkareem’s Protest Song, Warns Against Slide into Authoritarianism

 

Nobel Laureate and cultural titan, Professor Wole Soyinka, has come out swinging against the recent ban imposed by Nigeria’s National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) on Eedris Abdulkareem’s politically charged track, "Jaga Jaga Reloaded: Tell Your Papa." In a sharply worded public statement issued from New York University Abu Dhabi, the revered playwright decried what he sees as a disturbing re-emergence of censorship and official intolerance toward free expression in Nigeria.

Laced with satire and unmistakable scorn, Soyinka’s critique did not hold back. The professor used the ban as a springboard to launch a wider conversation about Nigeria’s democratic fragility, condemning what he called the “petulant irrationality” of the Bola Tinubu administration and the broader culture of silencing dissenting voices.

“Courtesy of an artist operating in a different genre – the cartoon – who sent me his recent graphic comment on the event, I learnt recently of a return to the culture of censorship,” Soyinka noted, referencing a recent cartoon by political artist Ebun Aleshinloye that ridiculed the government’s censorship move.

Soyinka, in his characteristic blend of wit and gravitas, ridiculed the ban with a mock proposal to go further: outlaw the artist, his professional association—the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN)—and even the cartoonist. “Perhaps the next logical step would be to proscribe Abdulkareem himself,” he mused sarcastically, emphasizing the slippery slope of unchecked censorship.

Though he admitted he had not yet listened to Abdulkareem’s track, Soyinka underscored the broader issue: “The principle is inflexibly etched on any democratic template. It cannot be flouted.” For him, the content of the song was secondary to the fundamental right of the artist to speak his truth.

The renowned writer also pointed out the ironic consequences of such bans: they often end up amplifying the voices they seek to suppress. “The ban is a boost to the artist’s nest egg, thanks to free governmental promotion,” he quipped. “Mr. Abdulkareem must be currently warbling his merry way all the way to the bank. I envy him.”

But Soyinka’s statement moved beyond satire as he issued a sobering reminder of the perils of authoritarianism cloaked in bureaucracy. “Any government that is tolerant only of yes-men and women, which accommodates only praise-singers and dancers to the official beat, has already commenced a downhill slide into the abyss,” he warned.

The literary legend did not limit his criticisms to just censorship. In a poignant postscript, Soyinka turned attention to the recent wave of mob killings in Edo State, where nineteen young Nigerians were reportedly murdered. He drew a chilling parallel with the 2022 lynching of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto, a case that still haunts Nigeria’s conscience due to the lack of justice.

“The horror is not in numbers but in the act itself… Our thirst for justice must remain unslaked,” he wrote, lamenting the culture of impunity that allows such atrocities to go unpunished.

As Nigeria grapples with the twin spectres of rising authoritarianism and social unrest, Soyinka’s intervention stands as a stark reminder of the cost of silence. His voice joins a growing chorus of critics, activists, and ordinary citizens calling for the restoration of democratic ideals, freedom of speech, and justice.

At a time when many voices are stifled or drowned out by state machinery, Wole Soyinka’s message rings clear: the soul of a democracy lies in its ability to tolerate dissent—even when it sings out of tune.