President Bola Tinubu has hailed the late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti as an eternal icon following the musician’s posthumous receipt of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy of America.
In a statement he personally signed on on Sunday, Tinubu described Fela as the first African to earn this prestigious honor, underscoring his profound impact on global music and social justice.
The award recognizes Fela’s groundbreaking contributions to music, particularly through his creation of Afrobeat, a genre that blended West African rhythms with jazz, funk, and highlife to challenge oppression and corruption. Tinubu emphasized that Fela was far more than a performer: “He was a fearless voice of the people, a philosopher of freedom, and a revolutionary force whose music confronted injustice and reshaped global sound.”
The president’s tribute highlights Fela’s enduring legacy, noting how his “courage, creativity, and conviction defined a generation and continue to inspire the world.” Tinubu drew on Yoruba mythology to elevate Fela’s status, stating that he has “transcended to a higher plane as an Orisa” and is now “eternal.” This cultural reference reflects the deep reverence for Fela in Nigeria, where his music and activism against military regimes in the 1970s and 1980s made him a symbol of resistance.
Tinubu also pointed to Fela’s influence on contemporary artists, saying his innovations can be heard in “generations of Nigerian musicians and in Afrobeats and beyond.” The Grammy award, according to the president, affirms Fela’s “foundational role” in elevating African music on the world stage. Fela, who passed away in 1997, joins an elite group of honorees including legends like Bob Marley and Nina Simone.
The announcement comes amid growing international recognition of Nigerian music, with Afrobeats stars like Burna Boy and Wizkid achieving global success. Tinubu’s message concludes with a resounding affirmation: “Fela lives.”
This honor adds to Fela’s storied posthumous accolades, including inductions into various halls of fame and the ongoing popularity of his discography, which includes seminal albums like Zombie and Expensive Shit.
As Nigeria continues to export its cultural influence, Tinubu’s words serve as a reminder of the roots that paved the way.
The President’s message reads in full:
FELA LIVES: PRESIDENT TINUBU ON FELA’S GRAMMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
The world of music has honoured a giant: Fela Anikulapo Kuti.
Fela was more than a musician. He was a fearless voice of the people, a philosopher of freedom, and a revolutionary force whose music confronted injustice and reshaped global sound.
His courage, creativity, and conviction defined a generation and continue to inspire the world. In Yoruba mythology, he has transcended to a higher plane as an Orisa. He is now eternal.
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 Afrobeats and beyond.
Fela lives.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Federal Republic of Nigeria
