President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has described the late Legendary Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, as someone who was more than a musician, saying he was a fearless voice of the people, a philosopher of freedom, and a revolutionary force whose music confronted injustice and reshaped global sound.
Tinubu stated this while responding to the Los Angeles Recording Academy’s posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on the late musician, nearly three decades after his death.
In a statement Tinubu personally signed, he stated that Fela’s courage, creativity, and conviction defined a generation and continue to inspire the world, adding, “In Yoruba mythology, he has transcended to a higher plane as an Orisa. He is now eternal.”
He said further, “Fela Kuti has blazed the trail with the Recording Academy of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African to receive this honour, though posthumously. The award is an affirmation of his enduring global influence and the foundational role he has played in the evolution and impact of Africa on modern music.”
“He defined Afrobeat, and you can hear and see his influence in generations of Nigerian musicians and in Afrobeat and beyond.’ he concluded.
