Yeni also asserted she does not think her father die a happy man because he was very ill before he eventually passed away
By Kehinde Okeowo
Yeni Kuti, popular Nigerian dancer and daughter of late Afrobeats pioneer, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, has said Nigerians did not appreciate his father’s worth until after his death.
She made this known during an interview with lawyer and media personality, Chude Jideonwo, while revealing the circumstances that surrounded the death of her father.
According to Yeni, her father’s reputation grew after his death, even though the Nigerian government and its citizens treated him badly while he was alive.
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On why Nigerians eventually realised how useful the late Afrobeat legend was to them, she said: “I think ‘their eyes are now clear, suffer don hook us for Nigeria. We have seen that there was at least one person who was singing about the abuse and fighting it.
“Fela used to take out an advert on Daily Times that later became Punch, every Saturday. He would tag it ‘Chief Priest says’, and he will write something about Nigeria. He had a printing press, where he would print and yab all of them. Of course, it took death for them to realize they had lost something important.”
When asked if her father died a happy man, Yeni replied, “That’s a very tough question. I think it’s a tough question because he was quite ill before he died. So, I don’t think someone that was so ill could be happy.”
She went on to assert that it was good that he eventually passed away when he did because he would not have been able to stand the level of rot in Nigeria today.
“You know, many things he actually stands against started happening. Sometimes I think it’s even better that he died then because if he didn’t die, he would have died now with the way Nigeria is now.” she further said.