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Charly Boy opens up on rift, reconciliation with father

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Charly Boy, the ace Nigerian singer, has detailed his tale of rebellion and reconciliation with Chukwudifu Oputa, his late father.

Oputa, a former supreme court of Nigeria judge, died on May 11, 2014.

In a recent interview on WithChude, Charly Boy revealed that his decision to pursue music led to a fallout with his father.

The 73-year-old activist, born Charles Oputa, said after returning from the United States, he relocated to his village in Oguta, Imo state, where he lived for seven years due to financial struggles.

He said he “disowned my parents” who relocated to Lagos, adding that “the village robbed me of self-esteem”.

“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.”

On how they reconciled, the activist said during a tense conversation, he chose not to react to his father’s screaming.

Charly Boy, a former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN), said he instead listened to his father as he spoke.

The singer said he then calmly asked his dad to listen to his perspective, marking a turning point in their strained 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.”

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Bimpe Akintunde warns Nigerians against scammers impersonating her on WhatsApp

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Bimpe Akintunde, the Nollywood actress, has raised an alarm over a fake WhatsApp account created in her name to scam unsuspecting individuals.

The film star took to her Instagram story to share screenshots of the impersonator, posing as her to solicit money from her followers.

Akintunde expressed her frustration and disappointment, cursing the scammer for attempting to profit from her hard work. She warned the public to be cautious of the impersonator on any media platform.

The actress urged her fans to help report the scammer’s WhatsApp and bank accounts.

She also prayed that God should keep such fraudulent individuals away from her and her loved ones.

“What a morning. Tell me how this country wants to be great, when a lot of people are struggling, working hard to build a name and brand, and boom, one person will take their pictures and name only to be defrauding people up and down,” she wrote.

“Who gave birth to such a child? Useless children, may God keep them away from us.

“Please disregard any message from anyone, either in your DM or WhatsApp, asking you to send money.

“Please, it not me. I do not own this above number. I would appreciate it if we could find a way to report both the WhatsApp and the Opay account.”

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Davido advises black Americans not to relocate to Nigeria, says ‘the economy is in shambles’

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Davido, the Afrobeats star, has advised black Americans against relocating to Nigeria, citing the country’s economic challenges.

In an appearance on The Big Homies House podcast, the singer shared his thoughts on the struggles bedeviling Nigeria, stating, “It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles”.

Davido also mentioned Nigeria’s struggles with bad leadership, a high exchange rate, and skyrocketing oil prices, which are negatively impacting the country.

“It is not cool back home. The economy is in shambles. I do my part, I am an ambassador. When I go home and I am filming, I am no going to show the bad parts,” he said.

“I am talking about the situation in the country. Now the exchange rate is messed up, a lot of stuffs are not going well.

“The economy is just not good enough. The oil price is too high. Imagine the country that produces oil, paying more for it than a country importing oil.”

Despite the challenges, Davido emphasised the entertainment industry’s positive impact on Africa’s global image.

“Regardless, entertainment is one of the thing that has made Africa look good. We do not have the best leader, that is a fact,” he said.

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US actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction for staged attack overturned

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American actor, Jussie Smollett’s conviction for fabricating a racist and homophobic hate crime in Chicago in 2019 was overturned Thursday on due process grounds.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruled that Smollett, 42, should not have been charged again by prosecutors after a prior agreement saw over a dozen original charges dismissed.

It is the latest twist in Smollett’s legal saga, which began with his initial claim in January 2019 that he had been attacked on a Chicago street.

The gay African-American actor, then a cast member of the hit TV series “Empire,” said two masked men assaulted him late at night, shouting slurs and placing a noose around his neck.

Smollett staged the attack after receiving a legitimate piece of hate mail which he felt was not taken seriously by his employers, prosecutors said.

But those charges were suddenly dropped in March 2019, under an arrangement in which Smollett forfeited his $10,000 bond and agreed to do community service.

The dismissal was met with anger by some city officials, including then-mayor Rahm Emanuel, who argued $10,000 was only a fraction of the actual investigation costs.

A special prosecutor eventually took over the case and several charges were reinstated.

Smollett, who has always maintained his innocence, was found guilty in December 2021.

Though he was sentenced to 150 days in prison with 30 months on probation, he was released pending the outcome of his appeal.

He was also ordered to repay $120,106 to the Chicago Police to cover their investigation costs.

The case had initially sent shock waves through a deeply divided country still plagued by racial and sexual discrimination, and the actor had immediately received support from celebrities in political and cultural circles.

The Illinois Supreme Court ruling said that bringing the charges a second time after “the defendant has performed his part of the bargain” represented “a due process violation.”

“We therefore reverse (the) defendant’s conviction,” the ruling said.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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