By Oscar Nwogu
Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa popularly known as Charly Boy 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.
One year after, 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. According to him, he has commenced his backward aging process and would be celebrating his 69th birthday next year, as against marking 72.
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. “The 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 remark my 70th birthday this year. Next year, I will mark 69, a process of aging backwards,” he explained.
However, Charly Boy will today celebrate his aging backward birthday with the launch of his EP titled, Odudubariba, which simply means a spiritual warrior. “Yes, it’s 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 ‘60s.
“We can’t continue to live as one if we can’t come to the table to resolve our differences. The injustice in Nigeria stinks, that’s 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’t make progress with a faulty foundation. We have no choice but to reap what we have sowed over the years. It’s unfortunate but that’s the reality of our time,” he said.
Are we expecting fireworks, protests and all sort of razzmatazz from Charly Boy as he counts his age backward? His response: “The mood in the country doesn’t call for any fireworks, say who die? It’s time for deep, meaningful reflection about our dangerous predicament. I’m 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.”
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, “I built this youthful brand to shock and awe ignorant, mongoparkish, analogue, outdated, stupid and idiotic Nigerians out of their potopoto mindset.”
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 artistes had a strong voice in the affairs of the industry. “As 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.”
The Area Fada, as he is popularly called, believes that the Nigerian youths need reawakening of their mindset. “It’s 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.
“I still believe that the salvation of this country lies in the hands of its exceptional youths. I still can’t see how these ancestors from the 18th century can defeat the millennial of the 21st century. This oppressive government can’t 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,” he averred.
However, the veteran musician believes that all hope is not lost for Nigeria. “There is hope for the country,” he enthused, “it is still the exceptional few, Nigerian youths, that will remedy this country when the chips are down.”
Any regrets? Charly Boy retorted: “Regrets? 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. My life is better than most Hollywood fiction. I will forever be my authentic self. I’ll forever keep pushing my dreams with consistency, tenacity, sagacity, audacity and tremendous focus.”