Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti has said he wished the recent feud involving Wizkid and his brother, Seun Kuti, had never arisen, describing the renewed comparisons between his late father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and contemporary Nigerian artistes as needless.
Femi made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television, which circulated on X on Saturday. He explained that he deliberately stayed silent on the issue, stressing that Nigeria is grappling with far more serious challenges than celebrity rivalries.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed I’ve not said anything. Fela is our father,” he said. “I believe all artistes, including the younger ones, respect him. I don’t think it was an issue that should have been brought up. He is the template for many things musically and artistically in Nigeria.”
According to Femi, Fela occupies a unique and unmatched position in the nation’s music history and should be respected rather than compared with present-day stars.
He acknowledged the global success of Nigerian musicians, particularly their increasing presence at the Grammy Awards, describing it as a positive development for Nigeria and Africa.
“Nigeria has been participating in the Grammys so much these days. It’s good for Africa, it’s good for the country, and it’s good that we’re getting the recognition we deserve,” he said. “We should use this momentum to build the country, the music industry, and the nation by coming together.”
However, Femi expressed concern that pressing national issues such as tribalism, terrorism and corruption were being overshadowed by less meaningful public debates. He urged Nigerians, especially young people, to focus on governance and nation-building.
“Tribalism is a big issue today, terrorism is a big issue. Those are the things young people, myself, everybody should be focused on,” he said.
Reflecting on the past, Femi recalled how Fela consistently warned about corruption and poor governance decades ago, noting that many Nigerians failed to grasp the depth of his message at the time.
“There was a time in the 1970s when, if you were sick, general hospitals gave drugs for free. Things were moving, yet Fela was already complaining,” he said. “Many of us didn’t understand what he was talking about then. Now it’s clear he saw how corruption was killing Nigeria even at that time.”
He warned that continued focus on trivial issues contributes to the country’s decline, stressing that many of the problems Fela spoke against remain unresolved.
Femi also revealed that political themes still dominate his music and that of his family, questioning how long artistes would continue singing about the same issues without real change.
“I’ve been in this business for 40 years and about 90 per cent of my songs are political. Seun is doing his thing, and now my son has two political albums,” he said. “How long will we keep talking about poverty, kidnapping and terrorism? When will the country truly come together to build a nation as it should be?”
The controversy was reignited after Wizkid was quoted as saying he was bigger than Fela.
