Charles\u00a0Chukwuemeka Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy,\u00a0 is an enigma of some sort. As maverick as he is, he cannot stop pulling stunts here and there. On June 19, 2020, the ever-bubbly punk king celebrated his 70th birthday with little or no fanfare owing largely to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
One year later, the general feeling is that Charly Boy would mark his 71st birthday today, Saturday June 19. But the weird one has pulled his stunt again, defying all logic, as he vowed to mark another 70th birthday.\u00a0\u00a0According to him, he has commenced his backward aging process and would be celebrating his 69th birthday next year, as against marking 72.<\/p>\n
Asked why he prefers to count his age backward rather than upward, the musician, producer and activist says there is nothing to celebrate going forward.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cThe government in power has not done anything to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians. It is confusion, agitation, rape, killings, maiming, stagnation, nepotism, tribalism and clownishness everywhere. There is no hope for the common man. Since there is nothing to celebrate, I would rather celebrate my 70th birthday this year. Next year, I will mark 69, a process of aging backwards,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
However, Charly Boy will today celebrate his aging backward birthday with the launch of his EP titled, Odudubariba, which simply means a spiritual warrior. \u201cYes, it\u2019s again my second 70th birthday; next year, I will be 69, and henceforth will continue my backward aging. With the mood of the country and its people, we will keep the celebration simple and low-keyed. I am doing this for my fans and myself. What we are going through in Nigeria today is decades of inaction, docility and my thief better pass your thief mentality. We have been living on corruption money since the \u201860s.\u201cWe can\u2019t continue to live as one if we can\u2019t come to the table to resolve our differences. The injustice in Nigeria stinks, that\u2019s why many regions want to go their separate ways. From day one, the foundation of this country was faulty, a scam, and the constitution, fraudulent. We can\u2019t make progress with a faulty foundation. We have no choice but to reap what we have sowed over the years. It\u2019s unfortunate but that\u2019s the reality of our time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Are we expecting fireworks, protests and all sorts of razzmatazz from Charly Boy as he counts his age backward? His response: \u201cThe mood in the country doesn\u2019t call for any fireworks, say who dies? It\u2019s time for deep, meaningful reflection about our dangerous predicament. I\u2019m not insensitive to the pain my people are passing through. I have retired from active street protest, which has not yielded much with the bunch of people in government today. Two years ago, I retired from active street protest after giving it my all for 45 years. I am not a professional protester. I have reviewed my strategy and I am deploying my frustrations through my music, hence my coming back to one of the powerful tools of resistance: music.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Charly Boy brand means different things to different people. His alternative lifestyle and political views have brought in its wake a mix of bad admirers and haters. On the choice of his outrageous brand, the controversial musician says, \u201cI built this youthful brand to shock and awe ignorant, mongoparkish, analogue, outdated, stupid and idiotic Nigerians out of their potopoto mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n
As president of the Performing Musicians Employers Association of Nigeria (PMAN) many years ago, Charly Boy did not only restore respect and dignity of the Nigerian musicians, he also fought piracy and ensured that\u00a0artists\u00a0had a strong voice in the affairs of the industry. \u201cAs PMAN president, I fought for more respect for the Nigerian artiste, I fought for more money, fought for their intellectual property rights. Today, the Nigerian music and musicians are reaping the fruits of our struggles back in the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Area Fada, as he is popularly called, believes that the Nigerian youths need reawakening of their mindset. \u201cIt\u2019s either they are vexed enough to understand what is about to happen or happening to them or they are too scared and rigid to act. It is the docility of the youths that has contributed to my decision to stay on my own and use music, which is a stronger tool, to fight for the people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still believe that the salvation of this country lies in the hands of its exceptional youths. I still can\u2019t see how these ancestors from the 18th century can defeat the millennial of the 21st century. This oppressive government can\u2019t operate in perpetuity. It has an expiration date. But for sure, there will be consequences for our docility over the years. Before it gets better, it will get worse. How do we reason with barbarians and animals in human skin? There is a demonic wind blowing across the country now. Prayers alone can never solve this, we must resolve to strategically push back or accept our fate as slaves,\u201d he averred.<\/p>\n
However, the veteran musician believes that all hope is not lost for Nigeria. \u201cThere is hope for the country,\u201d he enthused, \u201cit is still the exceptional few, Nigerian youths, that will remedy this country when the chips are down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Any regrets? Charly Boy retorted: \u201cRegrets? No. Life is a journey of twists and turns. I have lived a charming life, 90 per cent of the time on my own terms and rules. I was the underdog no one gave a chance. I have lived several lives in one and I am not your regular everyday Nigerian, I am a limited edition. I have no damn regrets.\u00a0\u00a0My life is better than most Hollywood fiction. I will forever be my authentic self. I\u2019ll forever keep pushing my dreams with consistency, tenacity, sagacity, audacity and tremendous focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
–The Sun<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Charles\u00a0Chukwuemeka Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy,\u00a0 is an enigma of some sort. As maverick as he is, he cannot stop pulling stunts here and there. On June 19, 2020,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":82440,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n