The late singer’s children first objected to her uncle, Dr. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, declaring that he had died of AIDS, according to Yeni Kuti, the late singer’s daughter and the father of the Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.
After several attempts at convincing them by family members, she claimed they eventually agreed for their uncle to make the announcement.
In a recent conversation with media personality Chude Jideonwo, Yeni made this revelation.
The dancer claimed that she afterwards realized her uncle’s choice was the best because it definitively put all rumors concerning the cause of the great musician’s passing to rest.
She said, “Then, I didn’t think the decision by his brother [Dr. Olikoye Ransome Kuti] to announce that he [Fela] died of AIDS was the best.
“I remember we [Fela’s children] had a big fight with my uncle at a time. They had already diagnosed Fela with AIDS at the hospital.
“Uncle Koye wasn’t in town when the diagnosis came. And he came maybe about two days later…Then he called us, Femi, Shola and I, ‘you know what has happened, I’m going to announce to the press that he has AIDS.’
“We said, ‘No, way’. At that time, we still thought Fela would survive. We said, ‘look, it’s not your place to announce that Fela has AIDS, if Fela survives, let him.’ And he said, ‘Okay, you have a point.’
“But then, Fela now died. And he [Dr. Olikoye Ransome-Kuti] said he is going to announce that Fela had AIDS.
“We quarrelled with him. The whole family started talking to us, ‘it’s not good to lie, people are still going to discover.’ So, reluctantly, we agreed.
“But I have to say it now, I think it was the best decision that my uncle made. If he had not announced it, till now they [journalists] will still be doing underground ‘what killed Fela?”
