Tinubu Celebrates Fela Kuti’s Posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has lauded the posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award conferred on legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti.
The honor was presented on Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards ceremony held at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles, on the eve of the 68th Annual Grammy Awards.
In a statement, President Tinubu described Fela Kuti as “more than a musician, a fearless voice of the people, a philosopher of freedom, and a revolutionary force whose music confronted injustice and reshaped global sound.”
He added, “His courage, creativity, and conviction defined a generation and continue to inspire the world. In Yoruba mythology, he has transcended to a higher plane as an Orisa. He is now eternal.”
Fela Kuti, widely regarded as the pioneer of Afrobeat, becomes the first African artist to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which has been presented since 1963 to music legends including Bing Crosby.
President Tinubu noted that the award “is an affirmation of his enduring global influence and the foundational role he has played in the evolution and impact of Africa on modern music.
He defined Afrobeat, and you can hear and see his influence in generations of Nigerian musicians and in Afrobeats and beyond.”
