Afrobeat musician and social critic Femi Kuti has argued that President Bola Tinubu should not bear sole responsibility for Nigeria’s current challenges, saying the political system and Nigerians who allowed him to contest the presidency should also share the blame.
Kuti made the comments during an interview with Good News Naija, where he questioned how Tinubu was able to contest the 2023 presidential election despite allegations and controversies surrounding his political career.
“Do you think Tinubu is the problem? The issue is that they didn’t stop him from getting there in the first place; it’s his problem,” Kuti said.
“That he had…, if all what they are saying is true, how did he contest? If we have men and women of calibre and integrity, he wouldn’t have been able to contest in the first place.”
The musician also criticised Nigeria’s political establishment, arguing that its members remain interconnected despite changes in government, making it difficult for citizens to hold political leaders accountable.
Kuti referred to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration and the activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to illustrate his point.
“Obasanjo put EFCC to arrest all the corrupt people. One of the first people EFCC arrested was his daughter, Iyabo,” he said.
“Then, Ribadu (Nuhu Ribadu) was removed, or he even ran away because, I think, they were after his life. So, they removed him from head of the EFCC.”
Kuti pointed out that Nuhu Ribadu, the EFCC’s pioneer chairman, now serves as Tinubu’s National Security Adviser, describing this as an indication of continuity within Nigeria’s political elite.
“This same Ribadu is now Tinubu’s Security Adviser. You see, it is the same people. They go to the same parties, they go to the same weddings, they hug themselves, they do everything together,” he said.
His remarks come amid criticism of the Tinubu administration over economic hardship, rising living costs, unemployment, insecurity and other difficulties facing Nigerians.
Kuti warned that the country’s political system could erode young Nigerians’ belief in a better future, particularly among those who have grown up witnessing what he described as a lack of accountability among political leaders.
“A young boy of 15 that has this history or 20, when he sees what is going on, where is your belief in the system? Where is your belief that you have a future in this country?” he asked.
Kuti has consistently used his music and public commentary to criticise Nigeria’s political leadership, while speaking against systemic corruption, poor governance and weaknesses in the country’s political institutions.
