By Ghazali Ibrahim
A renewed spotlight has been cast on one of Nigerian music’s lesser-known rivalries after accounts resurfaced of how Fuji pioneer, Sikiru Ayinde Barrister, publicly challenged Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti over his controversial song, Zombie.
In a Facebook post made by a Nigerian writer, Kayode Badmus, he argued that the Fuji legend out of respect for the legendary pioneer of Afrobeat challenged his popular track, calling Nigerian soldiers “Zombie”.
Fela’s Zombie, released in the late 1970s, was a scathing criticism of the Nigerian military. In the song, he described soldiers as individuals who obey orders blindly without independent thought, using lyrics that likened them to zombies.
The track contained lines such as, “Zombie no go go unless you tell am to go” and “Zombie no go think unless you tell am to think,” a direct attack on military culture under Nigeria’s then military government.
The song provoked widespread controversy and eventually drew the ire of the authorities. The backlash culminated in a violent raid on Fela’s Kalakuta Republic in 1977, an incident that led to severe injuries for several occupants and was linked to the death of his mother, renowned activist Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti.
However, before the government crackdown, Barrister had already voiced his opposition to Fela’s portrayal of soldiers.
In his song E Ye Pe Soja Ni Zombie (translated as “Stop Calling Soldiers Zombies”), Barrister openly defended members of the armed forces, arguing that it was unfair to label them as mindless followers.
The Fuji icon’s position was rooted in personal experience. Before becoming one of Nigeria’s most influential musicians, Barrister served in the Nigerian Army and reportedly fought during the Nigerian Civil War. He was said to have sustained injuries during combat before later returning to administrative duties and eventually pursuing music full-time.
Drawing from his military background, Barrister declared in the song that he had every right to defend soldiers, maintaining that “once a soldier is always a soldier.”
Despite the musical rebuttal, there is no record of any direct response from Fela to Barrister’s criticism. Observers note, however, that Barrister held considerable respect for the Afrobeat pioneer and was influenced by his sound.
Music historians have often pointed out that Barrister experimented with elements of Afrobeat in developing Fuji music. His album Fuji Garbage, released more than a decade later, featured a blend of Fuji and Afrobeat instrumentation, reflecting the musical connection between the two legends despite their differing views on the military.
Interestingly, Barrister’s response song was released on January 1, 1977, before Zombie gained international prominence and before the events that followed its release.
The episode remains one of the most notable examples of artistic debate in Nigerian music history, highlighting how two iconic musicians used their platforms to express contrasting perspectives on one of the country’s most sensitive institutions.
