President Bola Tinubu has paid tribute to the late Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, following his posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

In a personally signed statement, the president described Fela as more than a musician, according to him, he was a fearless voice of the people, a philosopher of freedom and a revolutionary force who confronted injustice through music.

The president’s tribute reads: “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.”

Signed

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR

President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Federal Republic of Nigeria