Photo credit: Scot Africa
The vice-president of Nigeria, pastor ‘Yemi Osinbajo, a senior advocate of Nigeria, has declared that the late Afro-beat icon, Fela Kuti, deserves a national award.
While I may not comment on the issue of award, I want us to ponder on the indignities Fela suffered for daring to question an unjust government.
I believe the first thing government should do is to apologize to the Ransome-Kuti family for the various wrongs the Nigerian state had committed in the case of Fela, his mother, his brother Beko and all the members of his band.
Then, we should be talking about compensation. Apart from being imprisoned severally, his property on Agege Motor Road was seized after what Fela himself called the ‘Kakakuta Show’ in 1977.
To crown it all, his mother was believed to have died from injuries she sustained from her being thrown from the two storey apartment when soldiers went to raid the house. Beko, a doctor, who had his clinic on the premises also had the place destroyed. Of course, he was also injured.
The soldiers then proceeded to beat the hell out of Fela. It was later reported that a top army officer had directed that Fela must be brought dead or alive.
I really don’t think a living Fela would be disposed to receiving any national award from this government.
110919
