Seun Kuti: Nigerians should be more interested in running for office… messiahs don’t exist

Seun Kuti, Afrobeat singer, says Nigerians need to take more active interest in leadership positions, instead of waiting for messiahs.

He said this when he featured in the latest edition of the Toyin Falola interview series.

Falola, a renowned professor of history, is currently the Jacob and Frances Sanger Mossiker Chair in the humanities at the University of Texas at Austin.

Speaking during the interview session, Kuti said Nigerians must look inwards to address their problems.

“We must stop the messiah syndrome where people will be given a chance. We don’t need to be given a chance, if we are truly interested in building our nation. The power to do that is in our hands already, both the young and old. We just have to agree that we want to do it, then start moving that way,” he said.

“Put some money towards the politics of the community. Be there to monitor; go to meetings the way you go to parties. We all know messiahs don’t truly exist because I can use the words you want to hear for you to support me just the way APC did. No one asked, is it change for the better or for worse?

“We are the messiahs. We are our own leaders and we must rise up to the position of leadership. Youth in politics, for me, is neither here nor there. What we need are people.”

Also speaking on his grandmother, the late Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti, he described her as a revolutionary who was dedicated to the cause of promoting freedom.

“For history purposes, my grandmother achieved a lot for Nigeria. I won’t say Funmilayo was an activist; she was a revolutionary and I think there’s a big difference between both,” he said.

“Funmilayo was the last strong socialist in Africa; the first black woman to visit China. Funmilayo, therefore, was also a huge target. They had killed every other socialist at the time and she was the last standing socialist.

“We must understand Nigeria’s position in the global politics of the cold war. Being a victim of both international and national oppressors, she was to be erased totally. Her global movement was being taught internationally in schools, but in Nigeria, she’s reduced to driving a car.

“We should know we are all trapped in this facade. One day, the nation will understand that it must know its people and we will do our diligent work on all these.”

Speaking on the recent raid on his home by security operatives, Kuti said he reacted because he had a duty to keep himself and his family safe.

“Law and order have completely broken down in Nigeria. Everybody provides everything for themselves. We are our own local government; you take care of your debt, light, water, security. Everything is your business,” he said.

“My own security is very important to me. I have a little girl, she’s eight, and I have her mother. Therefore, I’m extra protective of my space.

“If my home is invaded illegally without a warrant, I have to assume my life is at risk and take whatever measures I can to protect myself and my family. That’s not activism, but self protection.”