LAIF’s 20 Years of Crazy: LAIF Board Chairmen Receive Special Recognition As Made Kuti’s Electrifying Performance Caps Ceremony

As part of activities that marked the landmark celebration of the two decades of the Lagos Advertising and Ideas Festival (LAIF), all the chairmen and chairwoman who spearheaded the growth and evolution of LAIF over the course of the years were honoured and recognized for their vital roles in the evolution of the festival.

The event which held yesterday at the main hall of the prestigious Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos also had agencies via for the bragging rights of Nigeria’s Agency of the year, with X3M Ideas winning in spectacular style and Leo Burnett, Noah’s Ark and others putting up what has been severally described as spectacular performances.

The distinguished honourees, who received special recognitions and commemorative plaques for their invaluable contributions to building LAIF into West Africa’s premier creative showcase, included Dr. Tunji Olugbodi, Mr. Femi Onabolu, Mrs. Bunmi Oke who became the first female LAIF Board Chair and received a special bouquet of flowers in recognition of her groundbreaking leadership; Mr. Charles Abraham, Mr. Ikechi Odigbo, Mr. Steve Babaeko, Mr. Lanre Adisa and Mr. Jay Chukwuemeka.

Also specially recognized is the Director-General of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, ARCON, for his onerous role in midwifing the LAIF platform in his days as the Executive Secretary and later, Chief Executive of the Advertising Agencies Association of Nigeria (AAAN).

That Made Kuti’s Performance….

The awards ceremony, which celebrated excellence across multiple creative categories concluded with a world-class musical performance that left guests energized and entertained well into the night.

Made Kuti, the 30-year-old grandson of the legendary Fela Anikulapo Kuti and son of Grammy-nominated Afrobeat icon Femi Kuti took to the stage with his impressive band, The Movement, delivering an electrifying set that shows the evolution of Afrobeat from its revolutionary roots to its contemporary expressions.

Made, whose music blends jazz, highlife, rock, and reggae influences with the signature Afrobeat sound pioneered by his grandfather, performed selections from his critically acclaimed albums including tracks from his 2025 release “Where Does Happiness Come From?” and his Grammy-nominated 2021 debut “For(e)ward.

His performance at LAIF 2025 featured the full nine-piece ensemble of The Movement, complete with traditional percussion, and the intricate polyrhythmic arrangements that define the Afrobeat genre. The band’s tight musicianship and Made’s charismatic stage presence of playing saxophone, trumpet, and keyboard while leading vocals created an electric atmosphere.

Guests were treated to renditions of socially conscious tracks that echoed his grandfather Fela’s tradition of music as activism, as well as more introspective compositions that reflected Made’s own artistic voice. The performance seamlessly bridged generations, with older attendees who had experienced Fela’s original Afrika Shrine performances in the 1970s and 80s finding themselves dancing alongside younger creatives experiencing live Afrobeat for the first time.