Former presidential aide Babafemi Ojudu has criticised a “Nigerian youngster” for likening himself to the late Afrobeats icon, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
Recall that Nigerian musician, Wizkid, had gotten into an online feud with Fela’s son, Seun Kuti and declared that he was greater than the legend.
Speaking via a lengthy post on Facebook on Wednesday morning, Ojudu described Fela as an unmatched cultural and musical icon whose influence transcends generations.
He wrote, “Is it true that a Nigerian youngster said he is greater than Fela? I sincerely hope he was misquoted.
“Even if he were to live ten lifetimes, his art and his life could not measure up to Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.”
The veteran journalist and politician went on to highlight Fela’s immense contributions to music, activism, and African consciousness, describing him as “a movement, a conscience, a revolution in human form.”
“Fela was not just a musician; he was a movement, a conscience, a revolution in human form. His music gave birth to Afrobeat, a genre now studied in universities across the world, sampled by global superstars, and performed on the world’s greatest stages,” Ojudu wrote.
“Fela stood alone, fearless in the face of military dictatorships, unapologetic in his resistance to oppression. He used his music as a weapon against injustice, corruption, colonial mentality, and state violence. For this, he was arrested over 200 times, brutalised, imprisoned, tortured, exiled, and silenced, yet never broken,” he said.
Ojudu also recounted Fela’s personal sacrifices, recalling how his mother was murdered, his home was burnt down, and his property was seized, yet he remained defiant.
“His mother was murdered by the state. His house, the Kalakuta Republic, was burned to the ground. His property was seized. He was flogged, beaten, and jailed from Alagbon to Panti, hounded by police and soldiers alike. Yet, after every assault, Fela returned with sharper lyrics, deeper rhythms, and more defiant truth,” he wrote.
In a sharp rebuke, Ojudu said anyone who dared compare himself to Fela “must first walk the corridors of Nigerian jailhouses” and experience the kind of persecution Fela endured.
“For any young person, musician or not, to compare himself to Fela, he must first walk the corridors of Nigerian jailhouses: Lagos, Maiduguri, Benin. He must endure police cells and military tribunals. He must lose everything, go into exile, and still return with his creative spirit intact,” he added.
Highlighting Fela’s legacy, Ojudu described him as “a multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, philosopher, and cultural theorist” who remains globally revered.
“Fela did not chase acceptance. The world came to him,” he said.
Concluding his statement, Ojudu dismissed Wizkid’s claim as unworthy of serious attention.
“So, whoever this fellow is, if he indeed made such a claim, should simply be ignored. He may be one of those who would flee the country the moment the police knock once on his car window in Ojuelegba. Fela did not run. Fela stood. Fela fought. And Fela remains immortal. Anikulapo, the man who carried death in his pouch,” Ojudu wrote.
