Yeni Kuti Defends Saheed Osupa After “Juju for Success” Confession Sparks Massive Backlash
- Saheed Osupa admitted during a stage performance that he uses traditional charms to aid his success, sparking massive backlash from fans online
- The Fuji star later clarified his stance, stating that the Qur'an, Bible and traditional gods don't lie, but their custodians do, which escalated the controversy
- Yeni Kuti defended Osupa's spiritual practice, comparing it to Christians and Muslims praying for success, questioning what is wrong with him praying to the Ifa oracle
Yeni Kuti, daughter of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, has come out in defence of veteran fuji star Saheed Okunola, better known as King Saheed Osupa, after his confession about using juju for success stirred heavy criticism online.
Legit.ng reccaled that the controversy began when Osupa openly admitted during a stage performance that he relies on traditional charms to aid his life and career.
Source: Instagram
The performance took place on 30 March 2026 at the 52nd birthday celebration of Nollywood actor Fatai Odua, popularly called Lalude.
A video from the event showed Osupa advising his backup singers to use charms to strengthen their memory, emphasising that the practice was not idol worship but a way to support their well-being.
Following the backlash, the Fuji singer explained in a video shared on his Instagram page that gossip and lies have overtaken the truth, insisting that his belief in juju was personal and not harmful to others.
Reacting to the whole saga, Yeni Kuti, while speaking in an interview with TVC Entertainment, said there was nothing wrong with Osupa’s choice of spirituality, as long as he did not mention using it to harm others.
She explained that praying to the Ifa oracle for success should not be condemned, as it is no different from Christians praying in church or Muslims praying in the mosque.
“Voodoo is termed to be a bad thing, but it is not. Osupa is not saying he's doing voodoo against other people; he is saying he's praying for his own spirituality, for his own success. In Christianity and in Islam, when people go to church or the mosque, they pray for things like success and good health. It's not termed a bad thing. So, if Osupa says he believes in Ifa and he's going to pray for his own success, what is bad in that?”
Watch the video below:
Netizens react to Yeni Kuti's statement
Legit.ng compiled the reactions of netizens below:
@aramu007 said:
"Am an Africa so I use what Africa people use juju on my handiwork but I never kill or harmed and I will never not."
@abolo4_real commented:
"Those who talk against him couldn't get him that is why they talk bad about him the man have right to worship any tin SO LONG ITS NOT USE TO HARM ANYONE."
@pa_adeola_mike wrote:
"But Indians Chinese and others are with their old religion."
@ifaola_spiritual_home reacted:
"Muslim pray do adua and they success, likewise Christian do pray fasting then they succeeded traditionalist pray do ebo use awure soap and other juju and they successful Please Don't portray traditionalist practices as evil Blood run in our body too."
@ayin.de26 commented:
"To be clear, he never said he doesn't believe in Islam or the Holy Book. He was pointing out hypocrisy among some religious leaders — and that's a reality. You may not like how he said it, but dismissing the message or twisting his intent doesn't change the truth."
Source: Instagram
Yeni Kuti speaks on comparisons with Fela
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Yeni Kuti addressed growing comparisons between her father, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and modern music stars.
She said such debates are unfair and questioned why a legend is constantly brought into present-day rivalries.
Yeni stressed that her father’s legacy speaks for itself and urged artists to focus on competing with their peers instead.
Source: Legit.ng
