Veteran Nigerian broadcaster and music critic Benson Idonije, affectionately known as Uncle Ben, has marked his 90th birthday at a celebration themed The Great High Life Party. Family, friends and notable figures from the music and media industries gathered to honour a man who has spent a lifetime leaving his imprint on Nigerian culture.
Idonije is remembered above all as a pioneer band member and the manager of Afrobeat originator Fela Anikulapo Kuti. From hosting the big beat to running a stereo jazz club, he helped shape the country's music scene across the decades.
His influence now echoes through his grandson, the Grammy Award-winning singer Damini Ogulu, better known as Burna Boy. At the celebration, Idonije was welcomed into the hall to the sound of a saxophone, accompanied by his wife and his daughter Bosede Ogulu.
His legacy in journalism is described as just as rich as his work in music. In 2012, the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism honoured him with a Lifetime Award for Journalism Excellence, recognising decades of writing and broadcasting.
Part of that legacy includes eight years serving as principal lecturer and training officer at the FRCN training school before he retired from broadcasting in 1992. He went on to write criticism and opinion for arts media across Nigeria, joining The Guardian in 1996 with columns such as Evergreen, Sound and Screen and All That Jazz.
During the celebration, Burna Boy raised a heartfelt toast to his grandfather, calling him a legend, a teacher and a guiding light, before the Urban Loud Choir surprised him with a birthday rendition. For Idonije, the proudest part of his story is that he is leaving behind a grandson who is not only promoting the culture but performing and creating it.