Nobel Laureate Professor Wole Soyinka has sharply criticized the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) for banning a protest song by veteran musician Eedris Abdulkareem.
He described the move as a disturbing return to censorship and a serious threat to free speech in Nigeria.
In a scathing statement issued from New York University, Abu Dhabi, Soyinka compared the ban to past efforts to muzzle artists and suppress socio-political commentary.
“I only learned of this censorship from a cartoonist’s satirical take on the matter. Apparently, Eedris Abdulkareem’s new song has been banned,” Soyinka noted in an op-ed published by PM News.
With his trademark irony, he added, “The ban didn’t go far enough. Why stop at the song? Ban the artist. Better yet, shut down his entire musical collective.”
He explained that the sarcasm was meant to highlight the absurdity of the NBC’s decision and reinforce the importance of free expression over any single piece of content.
Although he acknowledged he hadn’t listened to the song, Soyinka insisted the real issue was not the lyrics, but the broader principle of democratic freedom.
He pointed out that such bans often end up backfiring. “Thanks to this generous state-sponsored publicity, Eedris is likely singing all the way to the bank. I must admit I envy him,” he wrote.
“A Drift Toward Authoritarianism”
Soyinka warned that censorship has never successfully silenced ideas and instead undermines democratic institutions.
“We’ve seen this pattern again and again. It’s tedious, distracts from real issues, and worst of all, tramples on our fundamental rights,” he said.
He argued that such actions embolden authoritarian impulses and pave the way for more aggressive suppression of dissenting voices.
Condemning Violence and Impunity
Soyinka also addressed recent incidents of mob violence in Nigeria, including the lynching of 19 young people in Edo State and the 2022 killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto. He decried the culture of impunity, where those responsible often face no consequences and even flaunt their actions on social media.
“As long as this impunity continues worse yet, is normalized our shared humanity remains at risk,” he cautioned.
Concluding his statement, Soyinka called on the NBC to rescind what he described as a “petulant and irrational” decision. He warned that any government that silences criticism while only welcoming praise-singers is already veering toward tyranny.
