By DAYO ADESULU
Human rights activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu following the president’s recent description of late Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti as a “fearless voice of the people.”
Sowore dismissed the statement as deeply hypocritical, arguing that Fela’s brand of radical truth-telling would never have been tolerated under today’s political leadership. According to him, the same establishment now praising Fela would have actively silenced him if he were alive.
His reaction has since ignited intense debate across Nigeria’s political and cultural spaces, reopening long-standing questions about power, dissent, and the legacy of Fela Kuti.
“Fela Would Have Been a Target,” Sowore Insists
In a strongly worded statement, Sowore suggested that Fela’s confrontational activism would have placed him on a direct collision course with the current political order.
He argued that if Fela were alive today, his outspoken criticism of corruption, elite privilege, and state repression would almost certainly have resulted in arrests, intimidation, and state-backed harassment.
According to Sowore, Fela would not have hesitated to publicly challenge President Tinubu, a move he believes would have triggered swift retaliation from security agencies.
“Don’t mind the hypocrisy,” Sowore implied, stressing that Fela’s fearless posture was never compatible with authoritarian governance.
Security Agencies and the Politics of Dissent
Sowore further claimed that modern-day Nigeria has grown increasingly hostile to dissenting voices, particularly those who confront power structures directly.
He suggested that Fela’s activism would likely have been reframed as a criminal offence, possibly through cybercrime allegations or other legal instruments often deployed against government critics.
Drawing parallels with historical events, Sowore recalled how Fela’s Kalakuta Republic and Afrika Shrine were repeatedly targeted by security forces during military regimes.
In his view, the tactics may have changed in name, but not in intent.
Housing Demolitions and Class Resistance
Another flashpoint Sowore highlighted was Fela’s consistent defence of the urban poor.
He argued that Fela would have been vocal against the demolition of low-income communities, a recurring issue in Lagos and other major cities. Such opposition, Sowore claimed, would have provoked further crackdowns.
According to him, Fela’s solidarity with displaced residents would have been interpreted as agitation, attracting violent responses from state and non-state actors.
Culture, Power, and Street Enforcement
Beyond official institutions, Sowore alleged that political loyalists and street enforcers would have been unleashed to suppress Fela’s influence.
He claimed that concerts and public performances could have been disrupted under the guise of maintaining order, while attacks might be justified as punishment for “disrespect” toward political authority.
This, Sowore argued, stands in sharp contrast to the celebratory tone now adopted by political leaders when referencing Fela’s legacy.
Fela Kuti: Icon or Inconvenience?
Fela Anikulapo-Kuti remains one of Africa’s most influential cultural and political figures, revered globally for using music as a weapon against oppression.
However, Sowore’s reaction underscores a lingering contradiction in Nigeria’s political culture: the tendency to celebrate radicals after their death while rejecting their ideas in practice.
For Sowore, calling Fela a “fearless voice of the people” without embracing the freedoms he fought for amounts to selective remembrance.
A Broader Debate on Freedom and Power
The controversy has sparked renewed conversations about freedom of expression, historical honesty, and the limits of political tolerance in Nigeria.
Supporters of Sowore argue that Fela’s legacy cannot be separated from his constant clashes with authority. Others believe national leaders can honour cultural icons without endorsing their methods.
Still, the debate raises an uncomfortable question: Would today’s Nigeria truly accommodate another Fela Kuti?
Why Sowore’s Reaction Matters
Sowore’s response is not just about Tinubu or Fela. It reflects a broader struggle over who controls narratives, how history is remembered, and whether Nigeria has truly moved beyond suppressing inconvenient voices.
As the nation continues to invoke Fela’s name in speeches and celebrations, Sowore insists that the real test lies in protecting the kind of fearless dissent Fela embodied.
Until then, he argues, such tributes will remain symbolic — and hollow.
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