A BILLION WIZKIDS CAN’T BUY FELA’S CROWN BY CHIEF OLAWALE OJOGE-DANIEL

There are men who sing, and then there are men who become the song of a nation’s struggle. Fela Anikulapo Kuti belongs to a rarefied atmosphere of human history that money cannot purchase and popularity cannot replicate. He remains primus inter pares, non secundum—first among equals, second to none

In the wake of recent controversies and the regrettable exchange of words involving the memory of this Titan, it has become necessary to set the record straight with historical fidelity. The assertion is bold but mathematically accurate: One billion Wizkids cannot match Fela’s legacy.

To understand this assertion, one must first understand the difference between entertainment and movement. Fela was far more than a musician; he was an epoch. He was conscience, courage, and confrontation personified. While today’s artists—Wizkid included—struggle for algorithm dominance, Grammy nods, and brand endorsements, Fela struggled for the soul of the Black race.

• He challenged military dictatorships at the height of their tyranny.
• He exposed corruption when silence was the safest currency.
• He resisted state violence with a saxophone as his only weapon.

Fela endured arrests, brutal beatings, the burning of the Kalakuta Republic, imprisonment, and the tragic death of his mother, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, due to military brutality. He did not retreat. That is not “celebrity.” That is sacrifice.

We live in an era that confuses value with price. Greatness is not measured by Billboard charts, Spotify streams, private jets, or sold-out arenas in London. These are material, ephemeral, and ultimately fleeting.

True greatness is measured by historical impact, moral courage, and the singular capacity to alter the direction of a people. By that standard, the commercial success of modern Afrobeats stars is incomparable to the civilizational weight of Fela Kuti.

To compare Fela with contemporary artists simply because of wealth is a shallow, intellectual error. It is akin to comparing Chief Obafemi Awolowo with today’s “polithiefians” and captors of the state merely because the latter control the treasury.

• Wealth without vision is noise.
• Power without principle is emptiness.
• Popularity without ideology is just a passing wind.

I speak not from sentiment, but from objectivity and pedigree. As the son of the great Ojoge Daniel—a pioneer Juju musician and a pace-setter in his own right—I understand the sanctity of those who paved the way.

My father, like Fela, belongs to a generation of pioneers defined by the history they created, not just the money they made. History does not mass-produce pioneers; it remembers them. The modern artist stands on the shoulders of these giants. To insult the shoulder upon which you stand is not just arrogance; it is a suicidal attempt at gravity.

On the specific dispute that ignited this discourse, fairness requires we state the obvious: Seun Kuti was right. It is the duty of a son to defend his father’s legacy against revisionism.

However, the actions of Wizkid—referring to the Abami Eda in reckless, demeaning, and provocative terms—mark a low point in cultural appreciation. Under no condition should temporary stardom intoxicate a young man to the point of losing historical perspective.

Provocation is never a license for historical insult. Careless words attract public opprobrium and lasting disapproval. Calling Fela names does not diminish Fela; the Abami Eda is carved in granite. Those who insult him merely expose the limits of their own understanding and their lack of “Omoluabi” ethos.

Legends are not threatened by the noise of the marketplace. Fela remains tall even in death. His music is studied in universities, his philosophy liberates minds, and his courage inspires revolutions.

Wizkid is a star of his time, and we wish him well. But let us not confuse the flashlight of a pop star with the burning sun of a revolutionary. History has settled this question, and time will not revise it.

Chief Olawale Ojoge-Daniel BSc Politics, Philosophy & Economics | LLB (Hons), BL Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria Public Affairs Analyst, Social Crusader, and Advocate of Good Governance C.E.O., Ojoge-Daniel Foundation for Human Rights and Conflict Mediation (JAFETO-Centre)