Yoruba figures are part of Kuti family’s greatest enemies – Femi Kuti

Grammy-nominated Afrobeat musician Femi Kuti has revealed that some of his family’s most significant adversaries come from their own ethnic group, the Yorubas.

Speaking at the 2024 Felabration Festival in Lagos, Femi Kuti emphasized that his family rejects tribalism, having been deeply influenced by pan-Africanist figures during their upbringing. He specifically named former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the late business mogul MKO Abiola as notable enemies of the Kuti family.

Femi cautioned his audience against involving the Anikulapo-Kuti family in ethnic divisions, stating, “Brothers and sisters, there’s something very important happening in our lives—ethnic problems, what you call tribalism. Please, do not drag the Anikulapos into your stupidity.

“We were raised by pan-Africanists like Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Marcus Garvey, Patrice Lumumba, Mrs. Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, and Fela Anikulapo-Kuti. Pan-Africanism was our foundation, so I didn’t grow up with tribal sentiments. I’ve encountered good and bad people from all backgrounds—African, European, and beyond.

“One of our family’s greatest enemies, as you know, are Yoruba people—Obasanjo or Abiola. But in our family, we are not tribalistic.”