Posted by According to well-known Nigerian singer and dancer Yeni Kuti, it wasn’t until her father, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, passed away that Nigerians understood the significance of him.
In a heart-to-heart conversation with media personality Chude Jideonwo about the circumstances of her father’s passing, Yeni said that despite how poorly the Nigerian government and its people treated him while he was alive, her father’s reputation improved after his passing.
She stated, “I think ‘their eyes are now clear, suffer don hook us for Nigeria,” when asked why she believed the change had occurred. We have observed that at least one individual was protesting the abuse by singing about it.
Every Saturday, Fela used to place an advertisement in the Daily Times, which subsequently became Punch. He would write anything about Nigeria and tag it “Chief Priest says.” He used a printing press to print and yab each one of them. Of course, it was only after their death that they realized what they had lost.
If her father passed away contentedly, Yeni was questioned. “That’s a very challenging question. Given that he was quite unwell before passing away, I believe this is a difficult question. I therefore don’t believe that someone who was so ill could be happy.
“You know, a lot of the things he truly opposes started to happen. In certain cases, I believe that it was for the best that he passed away back then rather than now given the state of Nigeria.