By Gabriel Okhao
Seun Kuti, son of Fela Kuti, the legendary Afrobeat musician and performer, recently aired his views, as he often does, during his Instagram Live session. The session, titled Babangida Presidential Library, featured the singer sharing his commentary and personal review of the widely discussed book launch and library of former military head of state, Ibrahim Babangida.
IBB is widely recognised as the military Head of State of Nigeria from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. He is also widely known for the annulment of the 12 June general election results, which denied the then president-elect, Moshood Abiola, legitimacy after the voting exercise, thereby leading to the termination of the planned Third Nigerian Republic.
IBB, during his book launch on February 20, 2025, admitted that Chief Moshood Abiola was the winner of the June 12 elections and he had annulled it because he feared that the presumed winner, the late Chief Moshood Abiola, might not have been an effective and competent president for the nation at that crucial time.
Seun began his introduction by solemnly urging the public to be aware of the country’s historical events in order to better understand how to navigate its present and shape its future collectively. He went on to state, “The only thing IBB owes us as Nigerians is a heartfelt and lifelong apology to the victims of his administration and the nation at large.”
Mr Kuti further criticised the large sums of money being raised at the book launch, expressing concern over how such exorbitant amounts could be secured for private projects while university libraries across the country remain underfunded and outdated, depriving students of essential learning resources.
Subsequently, the singer suggested that the right course of action for the former head of state would have been to redirect and pledge such donations towards improving the library facilities of both federal and state-owned universities. He stressed that the former president was capable of funding his own library project if he truly wished to do so.
Furthermore, he called out other political and elite figures present at the event, criticising them for disregarding the plight of their fellow countrymen and the nation’s worsening decline. Instead, he accused them of prioritising investments that serve only the interests of an elite few.
Once again, the singer urged his viewers to become “class-conscious” and to hold the government and elites accountable, emphasising that the collective interest of the people should take precedence over the self-serving interests of the privileged minority.
In conclusion, Seun Kuti commented on the inconsistencies in the government’s 2025 education budget, arguing that the budget allocation represents a significant reduction and is unlikely to bring about any meaningful improvements to the country’s educational institutions or the nation at large.
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