Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti has identified institutional corruption as a more fundamental challenge facing Nigeria than President Bola Tinubu, arguing that weak institutions allowed allegations against political leaders to go unaddressed.
Kuti made the remarks during a recent episode of the Good News Naija podcast, where he questioned whether Tinubu should be regarded as the country’s central problem.
“Do you think Tinubu is the problem? The judiciary that didn’t stop him from getting there in the first place is a problem. If all the allegations against him are true, how did he contest?” Kuti said.
The musician argued that a credible and independent judicial system would have prevented candidates facing serious allegations from proceeding to the highest political offices.
“If we had men and women of calibre and integrity, he wouldn’t have been able to contest in the first place,” he said.
According to Kuti, corruption is deeply embedded in Nigeria’s political and institutional structures, extending beyond individual officeholders to people entrusted with leadership across different sectors.
He maintained that the persistence of systemic corruption has become a major source of frustration for young Nigerians, potentially undermining their hopes for a better future.
Kuti’s comments shift the focus from individual political leaders to the institutions and systems that determine who can attain and retain power in Nigeria.