Legendary Nigerian musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, becoming the first Nigerian artist to receive the honour.
Fela will be recognized in the “Early Influence” category alongside American rapper Queen Latifah, Cuban legend Celia Cruz, rapper MC Lyte and country rock pioneer Gram Parsons.
The list of honourees was unveiled on Monday night in the United States during a broadcast of American Idol. Nigerian-born British singer Sade Adu will also be honoured in the “Performer” category and also recognized alongside Phil Collins, Billy Idol, Iron Maiden, Joy Division/New Order, Oasis, Luther Vandross and Wu-Tang Clan.
However, global stars including Shakira, Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill, New Edition, and Pink did not make the final list despite being nominated.
Organisers said more than 1,200 artists, historians, and music industry professionals participated in the voting process.
The induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 14 at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles.
Fela also made history in January as the first African musician to receive the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
The award comes nearly 30 years after his death and two years after the Grammys introduced the Best African Performance category.
In another development, Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has gifted 14-year-old Ekiti-born Oluwadamilola Adeolu, who recently emerged winner of the African Spelling Bee competition, her coach, and her school, St Lawrence Metropolitan College, cash rewards totalling N8m.
The package includes N2m for Adeolu, N1m for her coach, Esther Omolayo, and N5m for the school. He also pledged to sponsor the African champion, alongside her mother, Oluwabunmi Adeolu, and her coach, to the world championship scheduled to hold in China later in the year.
The governor, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, spoke in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday while receiving the spelling bee champion, her mother, the school proprietor, Lawrence Oluwafemi, and her coach at his office.
Oyebanji reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to prioritizing education as a central pillar of development.
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Commending Adeolu for bringing honor to Ekiti State and Nigeria, he described her achievement as a reflection of the state’s long-standing tradition of academic excellence, noting that the feat underscored the values of diligence, discipline, and excellence for which Ekiti people are widely known.
He said his administration had made deliberate efforts to reposition the education sector through strategic investment in infrastructure, teacher capacity building, provision of learning materials, and policies aimed at improving the quality of teaching and learning across the state.
The governor added that efforts were ongoing to align the curriculum with the demands of the 21st century.
While congratulating the champion, Oyebanji assured that the government would continue to reward excellence, particularly in the education sector, to motivate students and teachers to strive for greater achievements and sustain the state’s reputation for academic distinction.
He urged students across the state to remain focused on their studies, stressing that hard work, determination, and discipline remain the surest path to success.
He said, “Damilola has once again demonstrated what Ekiti people are known for – diligence, hard work, honour and excellence and I am so proud of her. As a government, in that last three and half years, we have done everything humanly possible to reposition the education sector in Ekiti State from the primary, secondary to tertiary education system and we are also looking at informal education.
“Our strategy is to ensure that we strike a balance between what is being taught, how it is being taught and where it is being taught because for you to have the best in that sector, the content and the curriculum must be alive to serve the need of the state, the country and globally.
“After conquering Africa, what is next is to conquer the world. I learned that she will be going to China to represent Africa, the state will sponsor her, the mother, her coach and two others from the school and as a token of appreciation, the state government will give Damilola two million naira, her coach, one million and the school, five million naira”.
Earlier, the school proprietor, Oluwafemi, commended the state government’s education policies, noting that the governor’s deliberate approach to improving the sector had contributed to recent academic successes recorded by students across the state.
He described the gesture as a strong affirmation of the government’s commitment to rewarding excellence and hard work, adding that it would further inspire students and staff to remain dedicated to academic excellence and discipline.
Adeolu, in her remarks, expressed gratitude to the governor for the recognition and support, particularly the sponsorship to represent Africa at the forthcoming World Spelling Bee competition in China, describing the gesture as a motivation to aim higher.
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