Recently Nigerian musician and social critic, Eedris Abdulkareem stirred up the hornet’s nest when he dominated the headlines over the ban of his new release ‘Tell your Papa.’ In the music, he criticized President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government for throwing the nation into economic and social crises.

Abdulkareem, known for criticising bad governance, has for a period spanning over twenty years used his music to reflect on the state of the nation and point out faults and misdeeds of individuals or groups in government. So when “Tell Your Papa” hit the airwaves it was not surprising to the Nigerian public as they enjoyed and danced to it nostalgically. But the federal government was not comfortable with the message of the music. This development again put the musician at loggerheads with the-powers-that-be.Then came the hammer from the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), swiftly banning ‘Tell your Papa’ from radio and television airwaves. The NBC cited powers it claimed to derive from Section 3:1.8 of the National Broadcasting Code, which empowers it to issue bans on abusive content.But pundits insist that the section cited by NBC no longer exists, with the only similar provision now found under Section 30:2.7.This section of the Code reads: ‘A programme or musical content classified as ‘Not To Be Broadcast’ (NTBB) shall not be broadcast.’ This appears, however, to be an arbitrary power inserted into the Code without any clear legal backing or justification.The song, according to a memo dated April 9 2025 and signed by Susan Obi, the coordinating director, broadcast monitoring, was deemed to be in violation of Section 3:1.8 of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code.Justifying the ban the NBC said it considered the song’s content to be ‘inappropriate’ and ‘objectionable,” saying it violated public decency standards on broadcast platforms. The commission advised stations to ‘exercise discretion’ and avoid airing the song to maintain ‘responsible broadcasting standards.’ According to the statement, “The National Broadcasting Commission has identified the song ‘Tell Your Papa’ by Abdulkareem, as content deemed inappropriate for broadcast due to its objectionable nature.Abdulkareem’s depiction of the current sufferings in the country may have infuriated the presidency about the fast-deteriorating living conditions in the country. The song highlights galloping inflation, rising crime, and worsening insecurity. ‘Tell your Papa Country hard.’ While accusing the president of implementing anti-people policies, with food prices, data costs, and school fees escalating, he urged him to look into the plight of Nigeria’s urban and rural poor. Thus, the government’s response banning the song from broadcast on radio and television stations nationwide was like killing the mosquito with a sledgehammer, thus further demonstrating the president’s increasing intolerance of criticism since assuming power.A cross-section of Nigerians view the ban as an affront to freedom of speech and a violation of the people’s rights to know. It is obvious that the song hit the federal government below the belt and perhaps what sparked the release of the now banned music could be the recent comments made by Seyi Tinubu publicly praising his father as the greatest Nigerian leader of all time.Abdulkareem did not take Seyi’s encomium on his father lightly. In his usual blunt style, he released the song in response, telling the younger Tinubu to “go and tell your papa” that Nigerians are not smiling at all. He has criticized several government policies past and present, particularly the controversial removal of fuel subsidies. Since the subsidy was removed, millions of Nigerians have felt the pang in their pockets – rising cost of transport fares, skyrocketing food prices and a general increase in the cost of living.Using the Cybercrimes Act, the government appears determined to silence critics, rather than addressing citizens’ genuine concerns about bad governance. Protests against government policies are frequently clamped down on. The planned peaceful protest by the Take It Back Movement in March was forcibly broken up in Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Lagos. Human rights advocates are increasingly alarmed by Nigeria’s descent into intolerance and authoritarianism under the Tinubu administrationAbdulkareem, a notable Nigerian rapper and former member of the hip-hop group – The Remedies. Known for his fearless voice and politically conscious lyrics, rose to national prominence in the early 2000s. After the group’s breakup in 2002.A true veteran of the Nigerian music scene, his journey encompasses several distinct chapters, each leaving a lasting mark.In 2022, the musician had a health challenge – kidney failure. Fortunately, he received a transplant from his wife in 2023. This experience shaped his recent music, with songs like ‘Thank You’ reflecting gratitude and ‘Ghetto Soldier’ highlighting resilience.DAILY ASSET posits that the government ought to have known that the era of silencing dissecting voices in the creative industry is over, due to several new media platforms to air contents all over the world whose servers are beyond the control of the Nigerian government.Moreover, the ban is a spark to further popularize Abdulkareem, his past and present music which might propel him a notch higher as a serial critic of bad governance in Nigeria through his musicAlso, Abdulkareem’s style of music reflects the frustration many Nigerians are facing as he questions how a president can be celebrated as great when the Nigerian people are suffering and starving. The ban is indeed a pointer to the increasing notoriety for intolerance and human rights violations by the nation’s political leadership.The current clampdown on opposition is a serious source of concern because the oxygen of constitutional democracy is freedom of expression and the right to ventilate one’s views. Gagging critics, intimidating opposition and suppressing freedom of expression, is definitely not the way to go.

It is extremely troubling that despite the many efforts put in place by both the federal and state governments to give some succour to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country, the situation in their camps has remained very pathetic and precarious. It is degenerating into humanitarian crisis of major proportion, if adequate steps are not taken to arrest the situation.

The number of IDPs in North Central States are: Benue 183,201, Kogi 16,043, Kwara 5,338, Nasarawa 11,051, Niger State 17,054 and Plateau State 133,302.

In the North-East States are: Adamawa 138,385, Bauchi 53,081, Borno 1,444,971, Gombe 21,087, Taraba 49,232 and Yobe 143,974.

In the North-West States are: Jigawa 15,414, Kaduna 214,272, Kano 15,414, Katsina 43,969, Kebbi 3,340, Sokoto 12,672 and Zamfara 125,506.

The figures are from the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) reports published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Nigeria that monitors displacement and population mobility in March 2024, and the numbers might have increased since then.

In most states, herdsmen attacks on farmers, banditry and terrorists killings trigger the displacement of indigenes, a reality that seems to be overstretching the security agencies but which must be tackled frontally.

The questions to ask are: Why has it been impossible for the security agencies to keep these bandits terrorizing innocent citizens in their communities at bay?  Why are the steps being taken from time to time to end the crisis not yielding positive results?

In a move to change the pitiable situation of IDPs, the Borno state government on 25, February 2024 began the closure of all informal camps for IDPs in Maiduguri and its environs with a plan to close all the camps in due course. At a ceremony during the official closure of the Kawar Maila camp in Maiduguri Governor Babagana Zulum said it had become necessary to close all camps and return thousands of people displaced by the conflict in north-east Nigeria to their ancestral homes to reduce their dependency on government and non-governmental organisations. Thus the state has closed most of the official camps in Maiduguri and its environs.

Following the closure of the camps, the governor relocated some people from the Kawar Maila camp to the newly constructed 500 housing estate in Dalori town in Konduga Local Government Area. The new estate is equipped with a hospital, school and irrigation facilities to re-engage the returnees.

The Borno state government, with assistance from international development partners has been supporting the return of more IDPs from various camps in the state to their respective homes.

This Borno initiative is helping to decongest overcrowded settlements that have degraded the quality of lives in the camps.

The federal government should move swiftly to assist the states to resettle IDPs back to their ancestral homes.  Recall that in 2018, the then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo pledged that the federal government would spend 10 billion Naira to rebuild houses for people displaced by herdsmen in Benue State. The pledge was made during his visit to the IDPs camp at Abagena, near Makurdi, in Benue state. He said the funds were approved to rebuild destroyed areas in Benue and other states affected by the crisis. It is not known how much of these funds have so far been released and utilized for the intended purpose.

DAILY ASSET is of the view that since IDPs are no doubt experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis in the country, federal and state governments should step up their strategies to give the victims a sense of belonging. Additionally, it is very crucial for global actors, policy makers and humanitarian organizations to collaborate and ensure the protection and provision of the needs of IDPs. This demands a comprehensive and multifaceted approach that should address the root causes of the crisis and bring an end to IDPs in the country.

It is alarmingly worrisome that between 2020 and now there were over 80 reported petrol tanker explosions, resulting in the loss of over 500 lives with many injuries and millions of property destroyed.The earliest recorded incident was the Ibadan Patrol Tanker explosion on November 5, 2000, resulting in over 100 deaths with many others injured.

On October 15, 2024, a petrol tanker in Majiya town, Taura Local Government, Jigawa state exploded, resulting in the loss of 209 lives and 124 injuries. It was followed by the Dikko fuel tanker accident in Niger state on January 18, 2025, claiming over 90 lives and another along Ugwu Onyeama section of Enugu state and many other petrol tanker explosions in the states of Taraba, Niger, Oyo, among others.Some of the common causes of these accidents include, brake failure, reckless driving and poor road conditions. Regrettably, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) other security agencies and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are not synergizing to enforce safety standards.In a bid to prevent the high number of explosions bedeviling the country, President Bola Tinubu has set up a high-powered committee to explore the possibilities of halting these calamities.This at most is a cosmetic approach to pull a wool over the eyes of discerning members of the public to cover the crass failure of the FRSC, other security agencies and MDAs, charged with various responsibilities of ensuring safety on our roads.The operations of the FRSC these days are a far departure from what it was during the days of Prof. Wole Soyinka as the Corps Marshall. The FRSC, then was more concerned with enlightenment and education of motorists and inspection of vehicles to prevent accidents while enforcement against recalcitrant road offenders was applied as a last resort – but very tough as a way of correcting them. As a result, motorists imbibed safety driving rules and culture.These days the FRSC sees itself as a revenue generating agency for staffers and government with no structured programme of education and enlightenment of road users for safety.Apart from hundreds of casualties by the explosions which in turn cause severe environmental pollution and huge economic losses, no concrete measures are designed to curtail or reduce their impacts through the review of a case by case basis, with a view to ascertaining the causes and possible solutions.With over half a million Nigerians gruesomely burnt to ashes as a result of petrol tanker explosions at a time other innocent citizens are daily being killed by insurgents, bandits and terrorists, government ought to come up with decisive and actionable steps against offenders rather than set up of “high powered committee,” since the causes of these accidents are well known and it is left for government agencies to enforce regulatory measures to curtail them.Nigeria is gradually degenerating to a killing field with blood streaming everywhere purely because of the government’s late response to critical issues of life and death. And so, It is imperative for the government to urgently prioritize safety on our highways to arrest the systemic failure of transportation of inflammables across the country.While the frequency of these tragedies is alarming and heart-wrenching, the authorities seem to be overwhelmed. Key stakeholders have called for a state of emergency in the transportation sector because economic impact is severe as businesses are being disrupted. Additionally, infrastructures are damaged and emotional stress of victims set in. All of these points to a compelling need for a comprehensive review of safety regulations especially in the area of transportation of petroleum products and to rigorously enforce road safety regulations throughout the country.Such regulations should include but are not limited to mandatory training of drivers on road safety and how to respond to emergencies. The process and protocol for certification must be without compromise. Violators should be made to face strict penalties. Considering that some of the oil tanker accidents occur as a result of bad roads, there is a need for road safety measures to be put in place to reduce the risk of accidents.Again, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) in collaboration with other public enlightenment organizations should urgently embark on sustained public awareness campaigns to educate the populace on the dangers of scooping fuel at the scenes of petrol tanker accidents. Similarly, the NOA and the FRSC in collaboration with transportation companies should establish a task force to monitor the activities of tanker drivers in the country.DAILY ASSET is of the opinion that rather than throw spittle on a raging fire, President Bola Tinubu should deploy a real fire extinguisher to quench it. Therefore, he should immediately relieve the Minister of Transport and the Corps Marshall of their responsibilities for gross failure to apply and comply with their rules of engagement in preventing road carnage of such massive magnitude. This is the sure way of making public officers to be alive to their assigned duties and responsibilities.To avert future tanker explosions often caused by the scooping of fuel at scenes of accidents, the FRSC and other relevant organizations should engage tanker drivers and their owners to emphasize the need for the former to tenaciously observe traffic rules and regulations and that those plying long distances should take turns and rest in the course of their trips.By the same token, the government should urgently address the excruciating poverty in the country because down-trodden citizens are desperate to survive and can go to any length to eke out a living, even to the point of risking their lives.