Charly Boy: I lived wild, did drugs, survived cancer, now I’ve new life

Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, is a Nigerian celebrity noted for his alternative lifestyle.  He is a singer, songwriter, actor and producer. In the wake of the seemingly unending media blitz preceding the launch of his highly anticipated book ‘999’, Charly Boy spoke with FRED IWENJORA on his battle with prostate cancer and inspiration from his father, late Supreme Court Justice Chukwudifu Oputa. He also dwelt on the book containing the risks he took as an adventurous young man which he confessed “were not too good, but crazy, stupid and foolish”.

Excerpts:

News of your upcoming book titled, ‘999’ is everywhere

Oh yes. Like every other thing that I do and have done, this has to be big also. It has to stand out. ‘999’ is the beginning of a new phase for me. There were phases in my life when I loved big bikes and I popularised the biking culture in Nigeria as it were. However in the last eight years I have not been riding as religiously as I used to. There are different phases in a man’s life and even in the life of a nation. So I moved on to the next level which is a more reflective, sober state of being. ‘999’ is the beginning of a new thing. The Bible says old things shall pass away, so for me it is a new world I am confronted with. ‘999’ is not an autobiography, it is just a collection of different stories of what I have gone through in life. It is like a diary which I like to call Charly Boy’s memoir. The stories are about the good, the bad and very ugly things that I have been involved with, things that transpired in my life.

How long have you been writing it and when is the book expected on the shelves?

I started putting these thoughts together long ago but it never had a direction. Many editors and publishers did not quite understand what I had in mind and just collected my money. That is why I won’t call ‘999’ an autobiography. It is my memoir of an interesting, adventurous and risky lifestyle since Mungo Park.

You mean you hid nothing in ‘999’?

If you know me well, you know I do not hide anything. I commit sin in the market place and I have nothing to be afraid of. ‘999’ is a brutally honest story of an incredible character we all know and love as Charly Boy. ‘999’ is not just a new phase but also contains all I think about Nigeria and the different things we have been through as a country. The book is coming out in the next few months by God’s grace and I believe Nigerians will love to read the book. In the book, everyone would see themselves.

I have gone through the tube and tyre. I have done all that is going on in any young person’s mind. ‘999’ is about the fact that no matter where you see yourself, just keep doing what you are doing, keep moving and the more we have humanity in our minds, the better for us all. The book contains things about the people I had the opportunity to work with and what I think about them, the different incidents and risks I took in my life. Yes, some of these risks were not too good but crazy, stupid, foolish and they are all contained in the book.

When you say stupid, foolish, crazy I am tempted to ask like what?

Getting into drugs was one of the most foolish things I did. I mean DRUGS like Cocaine. I did not do heroin.

How did you return from the cocaine trip so to speak?

I just quit. I was blessed with the grace to know the path I should not walk. Even though I was a very curious, adventurous stupid young man, I tried everything that I knew just once. When I started to see the bad side of what cocaine did to a friend of mine, I knew I had to run if I did not want to end like that. That was in Boston Massachusetts.

I spent about five years in the US and returned to Nigeria because there is still no place like home. I set up a Charly Boy studio in Oguta, recorded ‘Nwata Miss’, ‘Obodo girigiri’. I also started the recording of ‘1990’ at Charly Boy studio before completing the album in Lagos. Those were humble beginnings for me.

Why 999, why the title 999?

The angelic number 999 symbolises both completion and a new beginning. It serves as a reminder to trust the process of life while bringing closure to certain habits, relationship and careers.

Years ago when ‘My Private Part’ was released, we all thought it was all, no one knew you reserved some things

(Pidgin English)…Of course Charly Boy no dey finish. Aside from many things and anything that is happening, how I go finish when I still move with the tide. I still dey hustle here. You know I love young people and believe that the salvation of our nation lies in the hands of its exceptional youths. They are the ones that keep me youthful and useful all at the same time. I can’t really go out of fashion because as I dey teach them, them dey teach me.

Tell us about your battle with prostate cancer and why you set up a foundation to support men

I set up the Charly Boy Foundation to support men suffering from prostate cancer challenges. We support them to pay part of their medical bills as well as other expenses so that they can get checked to know what is wrong. The earlier we know what is wrong about something, the earlier we seek redress and start trying to arrest the situation, the better for treatment. The reason I got involved is because I went through that route. Mine was in the first stage of cancer. In my usual character, I was on national television telling men about what I was just facing and battling with. That singular act helped in creating awareness that it was alright not to be alright. That it was alright for men to cry when they are emotionally affected by whatever.

A man must not ‘chest’ everything just to prove that he is a man. Men do not like to take fresh breeze just because God gave them a heavy load to carry as men. They continue to keep it in until it’s late. Men should try confiding in fellow men they are close to. Days are gone when men should be hiding things from their fellow men because we are all in it together. Men should be a bit selfish sometimes. Men usually die first and in the case of many emergencies, women fall upon their children who seem to cling unto their mothers. I feel thankful to God that he has given me the power to contribute to this very important matter. In summary, what we do at Charly Boy Foundation is to help offset medical bills for men who have prostate issues. I am not doing this by myself. We have Zenith Bank, Samsung and other sponsors who are supporting us,  so we can do our advocacy in a lot more places. We have supported many so far.

With Rotary International, over 800 men were tested not long ago at Ikeja Police College, Lagos. Most of the men were police officers who were tested free. Some also got medications. And this is so ironic because Nigeria Police owe me more than N50m awarded by the court for wrongful assault.

In the many men you have met and interviewed, who has had the most influence and inspiration to you?

I can say the first inspiration is my father. I interviewed my father a couple of times and developed a lot of respect for him. I did not know he was my role model until lately when I started reflecting on all he wanted to do in terms of my conditioning and brainwashing that was flowing from his side. 

Of course you know I rebelled against his kingdom which is normal for young adventurous and sometimes rebellious children like me. We had two interviews which were so hilarious, father and son chatting on national television. I thought I knew everything about the man but I ended up knowing that I knew nothing about him.

My father was such a great sport. If he were alive today, I think he would have been my manager or my attorney. That is what I miss in fact. Now, I have the kind of money to pay for his erudite services. I am very proud of the bonding I had with him and my mum before he passed on. It was something emotional. For most children, no matter how prodigal one may be in nature, family is still very strong especially when in the family, you have very reasonable, positive and progressive kind of people. In fact, family is everything.