Celebrating Culture Custodian, Benson Idonije at 90

Ferdinand Ekechukwu

His story is still being told. The impact he has made across generations in music and broadcasting is largely being felt. A foremost critic whose contributions helped shape Nigerian sound and culture and continues to inspires, it is not surprising the array of guests, mostly from the creative community, who showed up in Lagos at the 90th birthday celebration of Benson Idonije.

Surrounded by his family, friends, admirers, and personalities in the music industry, the colourful occasion reflects every trappings befitting of the milestone celebration. Idonije, a respected music critic, former broadcaster, former teacher, former manager of Afrobeat pioneer, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, occupies a unique place in Nigeria’s cultural history.

The highlight of the occasion was the presence of his grandson and Grammy-winning Afrobeats artist, Burna Boy, as seen in videos trending online. One noted that the gathering served as a reminder of the historic bridge between Fela’s revolutionary era and Burna Boy’s global dominance, with Idonije standing proudly at the centre of that connection.

Praised for his lasting influence on Nigeria’s music landscape, “Pa Idonije’s close association with Fela and his role in chronicling and promoting Nigerian music made him a significant figure in the story of Afrobeat’s evolution. For many attendees, the celebration underscored a remarkable musical lineage.” This much was captured by Burna Boy in his glowing tribute to his grandfather.

“We’re here to celebrate my granddad on his birthday; 90th birthday. You know, the prayer is that we all get to live that long. So this is not an ordinary man or an ordinary birthday. This is the greatest man in the world as far as I’m concerned. And this is the reason why we have a lot of things we have today. So I’m forever indebted to him and grateful to him.”

Raising a toast, the singer enthused, teasing his grandfather such that elicited laughter. “And I know I’m not the only one. So this is a way for us to come together and celebrate the greatest man in the world today on his 90th birthday, even though I think he’s a lot younger. Yeah so this is a toast to the greatest man on earth; my hero, my grand-dad…”

Bose Ogulu, daughter of the celebrant and Burna Boy’s mother, who also serves as his manager, reflecting on the values her father instilled in her from childhood. describes him as “a wordsmith, a trainer of trainers and a scholar of music,” she said many broadcasters in Nigeria had passed through his classroom at one point or another.