Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has issued a scathing rebuke of the National Broadcasting Commission’s decision to prohibit public broadcast of a song by Nigerian musician Eedris Abdulkareem, characterising the act as a dangerous reversion to authoritarian censorship and a direct infringement on constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.
In a formal statement released from New York University, Abu Dhabi, on Sunday, Professor Soyinka expressed deep concern over what he described as a regressive and troubling development. He warned that such administrative overreach bears disturbing parallels to historical efforts aimed at silencing artistic and socio-political dissent in Nigeria.
“Through the courtesy of a visual artist—operating in the genre of political cartoon—who shared his latest satirical commentary on the matter with me, I became aware of what appears to be a renewed embrace of censorship culture,” Soyinka stated. “The banning of the work of musical artist Eedris Abdulkareem is emblematic of a broader intolerance for critical and creative expression.”
Soyinka’s comments add to growing public scrutiny over the NBC’s regulatory practices and their compatibility with democratic principles.#newsafro_
