Fela Becomes Orisa – Tinubu Says Afrobeat Legend Is Now Eternal

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has paid glowing tribute to Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti following his posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, describing the late musician as an eternal force whose influence has transcended mortality.

In a State House statement, Tinubu said the global recognition affirmed Fela’s towering impact on music, culture and resistance, noting that the artist was “more than a musician” but a fearless voice who reshaped sound and challenged injustice.

“The world of music has honoured a giant: Fela Anikulapo Kuti,” the president said. “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.”

Tinubu said Fela’s courage, creativity and conviction defined an era and continue to resonate across generations, stressing that his influence remains deeply woven into contemporary music and social expression.
“His courage, creativity, and conviction defined a generation and continue to inspire the world,” the president said.

In a culturally charged passage, Tinubu invoked Yoruba cosmology to describe Fela’s enduring legacy, suggesting that the Afrobeat legend has moved beyond the physical realm into immortality.

“In Yoruba mythology, he has transcended to a higher plane as an Orisa. He is now eternal,” Tinubu said.

Fela’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award makes him the first African to receive the honour, albeit posthumously — a milestone Tinubu said underscores Africa’s foundational role in shaping modern global music.
“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 statement read. “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.”

The president also linked Fela’s legacy to the rise of contemporary Afrobeats, noting that the genre’s global success is rooted in the Afrobeat sound Fela pioneered decades ago.
“He defined Afrobeat, and you can hear and see his influence in generations of Nigerian musicians and in Afrobeats and beyond,” Tinubu said.

The statement closed with a simple but emphatic refrain that echoed the mood of cultural pride and remembrance: “Fela lives.”