Charly Boy, a renowned Nigerian artist, has shared his story of rebellion and reconciliation with his late father, Chukwudifu Oputa.
Oputa, a former Supreme Court of Nigeria judge, died on May 11, 2014.
Charly Boy claimed in a recent interview on WithChude that his desire to pursue music caused a conflict with his father.
The 73-year-old campaigner, born Charles Oputa, stated that after returning from the United States, he moved to his village in Oguta, Imo state, where he stayed for seven years due to financial difficulties.
He claimed that “the village robbed me of self-esteem” and that he “disowned my parents” who moved to Lagos.
“I had disowned my parents. We were living in Owerri and my parents moved to Lagos. I moved back to the village because I had just returned from America. So I stayed in the village for seven years. I had no money. I had nothing. But that village robbed me of self-esteem. It robbed me of many things,” he said.
The singer, also called Area Fada, recalled how his rebellious nature often led to a clash with his father.
Charly Boy said he was frequently punished and whipped as a child, but eventually found a way to bond with Oputa.
“That is how I felt right from the day I was born. I want to go the other way. My thing with the status quo started from the house,” he said.
“Why should my father be telling us and giving us all these commands like time to eat, time to pray and all of that? I was just so tired of all that. It did not make sense to me.
“I was the one that was whipped most among my siblings. And I was the one that was punished the most because I would not do what I was asked to do.
“But then, my father forgot that he planted these things. He would say ‘query and investigate everything’. I used to have a vocal battle with him. I just did not understand. He just thought I was a kid from hell who needed to be punished and trashed seriously. I do not think we liked each other that much till everybody started getting mature and started to see the beauty of our personalities. Sometimes he would tease me and call me a pocket lawyer.
“At first, we could not agree on anything. And I found out that this was not enabling me to bond with my father. Till the day I decided I was going to flip it.”
Regarding how they reconciled, the activist stated that during a stressful conversation, he chose not to respond to his father’s ranting.
Charly Boy, former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), stated that he preferred to listen to his father speak.
The musician said he then gently requested his father to listen to his point of view, signaling a turning point in their troubled relationship.
“One day, I came to him as usual to talk about something close to my mind. He started screaming and shouting and I did not shout back. I did not say anything,” he said.
“I listened to him very attentively. He was surprised he was not getting any reaction. After he said everything, I said ‘Daddy, I have listened to you, can you listen to me now?’
“He looked at me critically and that was the last day he shouted at me. That was the day everything changed. Because I found a new way of dealing with this man.
“After they retired I brought them to Abuja to live with me for almost 15 years. They died in my house. The greatest job I had was to take care of them.”
Charly Boy began his musical career in 1982. His most popular album, ‘1990’, was released in 1988. The idea was based on a corrupt military government that was set to hand over authority to civilians that year.
In the late 1980s, he developed a new ‘punk character’ that included leather jackets and boots, power bikes, mohawks, and a new musical direction that blended African pop with Afrobeat.
He was well-known for his rings and piercings, as well as his love of make-up, relaxed and braided hairstyles, and what many referred to be women’s clothing, which sparked controversy among conservatives.
