Grammy-nominated Afrobeat musician and activist Femi Kuti has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not the root cause of Nigeria’s societal woes, attributing the nation’s systemic failures to deeply entrenched institutional corruption.
Speaking on a widely circulated episode of the Good News Naija Podcast, which began trending on Thursday, August 13, 2026, Kuti directed criticism toward the judiciary and regulatory oversight bodies. He argued that focusing solely on individual political leaders overlooks the failure of state institutions tasked with enforcing accountability.
”Do you think Tinubu is a problem? The judiciary that didn’t stop him from getting there in the first place is a problem,” Kuti stated during the interview. “If all what they are saying is true, how did he contest? If we had men and women of calibre and integrity, he would not have been able to contest in the first place.”
Kuti highlighted what he characterized as a self-sustaining political network operating across party lines and successive administrations. To illustrate his point, he referenced the trajectory of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, the pioneer chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
According to Kuti, the movement of key figures between opposition blocs and executive roles over the decades underscores a continuous political class that operates cohesively regardless of public rhetoric.
”They go to the same parties. They go to the same weddings. They hug themselves. They do everything together,” Kuti remarked, pointing to the interconnected nature of the political leadership.
The musician raised concerns regarding the long-term impact of institutional decay on young Nigerians. He warned that when law enforcement and judicial bodies are perceived as compromised, it dismantles public trust among youth.
”A young boy of 15 or 20 that has this history, when you see 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.
