Babafemi Ojudu, former senator and ex-presidential adviser, has criticised comparisons between younger Nigerian musicians and Fela Kuti, saying the late Afrobeat icon’s life and work remain “unmatched”.
Ojudu shared his opinion in a Facebook post on Tuesday while reacting to the ongoing online dispute between Wizkid and Seun Kuti, Fela’s son.
The 64-year-old said he hoped Wizkid’s comment describing himself as a greater artiste than Fela was the result of a “misquotation”.
“I sincerely hope he was misquoted, because even if he were to live ten lifetimes, his art and his life could not measure up to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti,” he said.
The politician said Fela was not just a musician; he was a movement, a conscience, a revolution in human form.
The former lawmaker said “Fela’s music birthed Afrobeat,” a genre now studied globally and performed on the world’s biggest stages.
According to him, Fela stood fearlessly against military dictatorships, using music as a weapon against injustice, corruption, and state violence.
“For this, he was arrested over 200 times, brutalised, imprisoned, tortured, exiled and silenced, yet never broken,” Ojudu said.
Ojudu said any young person comparing himself to Fela must first endure imprisonment, exile, and loss while retaining creative integrity.
He described Fela as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader and cultural theorist whose work fused jazz, highlife, funk, Yoruba rhythms and political poetry.
“Fela did not chase acceptance; the world came to him,” he said.
Ojudu said anyone making such comparisons should be ignored, adding that Fela “did not run, Fela stood, Fela fought, and Fela remains immortal”.
The former lawmaker’s admonishment came after Wizkid declared himself greater than Fela during a heated clash with Seun.
Seun, who responded with a sarcastic post calling Wizkid a “short man,” had earlier attacked the singer’s fanbase. He had accused them of disrespecting his father’s legacy by comparing Wizkid to Fela.
WARNING: If You Are Not 18+, Don’t Click The Link Below 👇🫣
https://troubleduseful.com/u36k6hvh?key=9d5a995551042f49ca200d04746b52ad
Please don’t forget to “Allow the notification” so you will be the first to get our gist when we publish it.
Drop your comment in the section below, and don’t forget to share the post.
Never Miss A Single News Or Gist, Kindly Join Us On WhatsApp Channel:
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vad8g81Eawdsio6INn3B
Telegram Channel:
https://t.me/gistsmateNG
