Controversial social media activist, VeryDarkMan, has offered to fund the production of a new video for the protest track “Tell Your Papa” following its recent ban by the Nigerian government.
The song, performed by veteran rapper Eedris Abdulkareem, was officially barred from airplay on Thursday by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), which labeled it “offensive and inappropriate.” Ironically, the ban has drawn widespread attention to the track, which had previously flown under the radar.
In reaction to the development, VeryDarkMan condemned the government’s decision, arguing that the lyrics speak uncomfortable truths about the current state of the nation. He pledged to support Abdulkareem in creating a new version of the music video.
In a video shared via his social media page, the activist said:
“I visited Eedris Abdulkareem’s page and saw the message from the NBC banning ‘Tell Your Papa’, where he called on Seyi Tinubu to tell his father, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that Nigerians are suffering and people are dying. But instead of addressing these issues, the government wants to suppress the message.”
He continued, “Let’s be honest, who’s still relying on radio or TV these days? We’ll take this fight to social media where the real audience is. Eedris, let’s shoot a new video — we’ll finance it. I’ll appear in it too. We’ll even find a lookalike of the president since we can’t get the real one.”
VDM also hinted that the new version, tentatively titled “Tell Your Papa 2”, will address other pressing national issues, using satire and social commentary to push the message further.
He criticized the government’s tendency to silence dissenting voices, stating, “They hear what’s going on in Nigeria, but they don’t want to act. And when people speak out, they try to stifle those voices. But this time, we won’t be silenced.”