The joy of single parenting | By: Charly Boy

Photo Credit: asliceofsalem.org
They don’t make men like they used to anymore; and women have become something else.
Long long time ago, men used to be very proud being the bread winners, the sole providers in the home but nowadays, many don’t mind being a house husband.
Women used to be seen, not heard, but now, women are the bread winners in most homes. They have taken over the role of men, they have become the Boss Madam, most of them, by circumstance.
Question: How and why do some women end up with useless baby daddies and husbands who, short of owning a penis, can’t lay ownership to any responsibility, can’t take care nor take charge?
Why do some women stay in a relationship that ain’t going anywhere, worse off, in an abusive, psychologically draining, energy sapping relationship, where the man puts up his feet while the woman slaves to keep the home?
Haba! Is it by force to stay in a relationship because the world must see you as married, or you are only tolerating your baby daddy so he can have a rethink and marry you?
The new cool for women is single parenting, especially for those who have been unlucky in finding reasonable men.
Ladies, please cut yourselves some slack, you can’t find that much needed and desired happiness if you’re in a relationship that is so filled with stress and despair, coupled with the child or children’s responsibility you have to think of.
Life is about the good and the bad, it’s true we all know that single parenting has its ups and downs but hey, joint parenting does too.
No matter your circumstances or reasons, once you are a single parent, you should be prepared for the good and bad and handle it accordingly. For me I want to look at the positives rather than the negatives.
If you’re thrust with single parenting, first thing to get crystal clear is this is where you are now, and because you love the child/children enough to ensure they turn out well in life not lacking basic amenities, you must roll up your sleeves and get kicking.
You cannot afford to be lazy, don’t discriminate on the kind of job you can or cannot do because of an illusionary class. As long as the job is not prostitution, drug peddling and trafficking in any of the vices, you must give your best at what work you find to do to earn a living. There is still dignity in labour; at least we have Olajumoke’s story to refer to in very recent times.
Rather than pity yourself or stay on the spot whining and wailing, or going to night vigil everyday,
wear a good dose of confidence and give this your best shot.
Afterall, you’re not the first single parent and certainly won’t be the last.
We have stories of single parents whose children turned out very beautifully, thereby becoming reference points for good. I’m sure you know that children raised by single parents only turn out poorly and terribly because those parents didn’t give their best or their best wasn’t good enough.
As a single parent, you must find a responsible father figure to model for and mentor your child. This does not necessarily have to be your boyfriend, it can be an uncle, a friend, someone that the child can look up to and take correction from when he/she goes off course.
A mistake I have seen with single parents is that they turn their children to the husband they do not have, they do not discipline them when they go wrong, everything the child does is okay whether good or not, they don’t put their foot down on what they know is right for the child to do. They live and raise the kids in denial and self pity. This is when single parenting goes all wrong.
Apart from this, nothing stops a single parent’s child from being outstanding and even going ahead to outshine regular kids.
So, the ball is in your court, whether you will choose to see your cup half empty or half full but I am strongly against a lady pretending to be under a man when in the real sense, though her man is not physically demised but she’s the ONLY parent in her home.
Who you dey deceive?
I don talk my own sha, nah you know.

Fuel Scarcity: Charly Boy writes an open letter to Buhari

Charly Boy has written an open letter to Buhari over the lingering fuel scarcity in the country. Read Below.

My dear Presido,
I trust you are not letting the rot and the decay you met in the system overwhelm you. I was filled with expectation when you emerged winner. I prayed that you would be a catalyst in redirecting our drifting country; because many things spoil no be small.
I can’t say that I was too thrilled with some of your selections for the ministerial posts, but I suspected you had a good reason for most of the choice you made. Your campaign was about change, which I hoped was all-encompassing- change in our mindset, our attitude to work, and above all, not business as usual.
It is based on one of your outstanding ministerial selections that I write this personal letter to you.
My Presido, please tell all them brown nosed praise singers, called politrickcians to hands off meddling and interrupting the flow of our Honorable Minister of Petroleum. Dr Ibe Kachikwu. We are all aware of the plots, nonsensical, local and ethnic intrigues called politics being thrown up to tamper with Ibe Kachikwu’s position. I warn that a stop must be put to this. We all know that corruption is fighting back the war against corruption. With the changes I have seen in NNPC and my personal interaction with this outstanding Nigerian of great repute, a humble, brilliant, intelligent and an outstanding scholar; one of the few patriots in your cabinet, it will be a disaster if we lose him. You know this is no lie.
While I don’t want to tow the line of ethnic or tribal propaganda, those claiming that this call for Kachikwu’s sack is entirely an ethnic proclivity may not be far from the truth, going by precedence we all know. At this stage and age of our democracy, such childish tendencies and immaturity ought to be dealt away with, if we all truly hold the interest of this nation dear. These useless yahoo yahoo leaders should desist from their frivolous, devisive, tribal, and ethnic politics and allow him do his job basically.
As a result of corruption, we have found round pegs in square holes; because of corruption, thieves and criminals took over leadership and because of corruption, our economy is in this mess.Even with your fight Sai Baba, you can see that winning the battle against corruption is not an easy one; it is worse than BokoHaram.
It is clear that most of the people responsible for our economic woes are fighting back, not knowing what you may do next. In my opinion, this is one of the ways they’re putting up the fight: they want to rid your government of the few who can make visible impact in a system that has hitherto been jeopardized.
These unscrupulous elements must not be allowed to find you predictable, they must not be able to hold you hostage in your own administration, they must not turn you to a mere stooge as it was the case in Nigeria in not too distant past. You no be zoombie.
Let those who know the job be allowed to do it or else, I will be forced to mobilize 2,000,000 protesters to march against this useless agitation.
Enough is enough, you are the President, please take charge.
What you decide to do next will determine, to a great extent, how this Naija ship is steered.
We are all watching, and waiting.
Thank you Your Excellency, for reading.
Best Regards,
Charles ‘CharlyBoy’ Oputa.

"Be Unapologetically You". Charly Boy writes

Eccentric musician, Charly Boy may not impress you with his looks but his reflective and spot on articles are going for him. Read his newest piece on being true to oneself.
Your Beautiful Self
My people, life ain’t easy but it’s beautiful when you’re true to yourself.
When you walk around without a chip on your shoulders, life’s challenges and pressures become a bit lighter.
When your ego is insignificantly low, the only reason would be because you’re true to yourself.
When you make no apologies for who you are but at the same time stay meek and humble, you are your true self.
My life’s journey so far has brought me face to face with the realization that my true self helps me deal with the painful boomeranging of some of my expectations when they fall flat.
So if you’re looking for yourself and asking everyone except yourself the direction to your real self, well sorry my dear, you miss road. Most people are other people, their thoughts are someone else’s opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.
In being my TRUE SELF, I keep creating new chapters in my life journey, never stop re-inventing and perfecting myself even as I insist on remaining a student for and of life. Along the way I discover that there are many heavens on earth waiting for one to discover. So as difficult as it is most of the time, I keep seeking out people with beautiful souls, hearts and minds; not those with just beautiful style and bodies.
Like all creatures in the wild, we were designed to keep moving.
When a snake sheds its skin, it becomes a more refined creature. I have never ever stopped refining and re-defining myself, most times I am hard on me but have NEVER let who I have finally become go to my head.
My people, we are all beautiful instruments of God.
This wonderful Artiste called God, created many notes in music so we are not stuck playing the same song. This is why I have lived my life musically. Some times I have literally sang off key, but I keep changing the keys, tones, pitch, and volume of each of the songs I create along my journey and play on. Who born dem to stop me!!
Make your own book of life a musical, never abandon obligations, but have fun leaving behind a colorful legacy. Never allow anybody to be the composer of your own destiny. Take control of your life, and never allow limitations (implanted by society) tell you how your music is supposed to sound — or how your book is supposed to be written.
When in the dark, fear not, for light itself doesn’t always bring good!
God has given us one face, now we should not go out and make ourselves another. All we need do is daily beautifying the lovely face we have been given, and that takes process. Let the world know you for who you are not who you think they want you to be.
Can you feel me?

Things | By: Charly Boy

I need a new bag, new shoes, a new car….may be I build me a new house, buy me the dream bike I have always wanted.
Hmmmnnn, all we do is want, want and want some more.
The other day I was cleaning out my walk-in closet, such a shame; I had clothes that I have not worn in five years and over, yet am buying more, only to end up wearing a set of the same old things most of the time, ignoring the hundreds that are just there gathering dust. Worst still, every morning as I step into my closet to pick out my wear for the day, it’s always a problem finding anything, as if there is a limited option.
Am I the only one infected with this virus? Did I hear a chorus answer of “no, we all are o”?
We’re all materialists in lotta ways, some are severe while some are mild. For some, they have just gone overboard. Yea, there are people who acquire so much of what they will never need.
The Psychiatrist would tell you this condition has a name in mental health. That go be madness abi.
How about people in government who steal money their generations can never exhaust, to the detriment of the rest of us?
We all use and enjoy material goods in our daily lives, and most of us simply cannot get by without them. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as the desire for material goods doesn’t control us and our actions.
The trick is not how we stay focused on things outside ourselves but rather, on things that would be truly beneficial to us: such as our spiritual development, our relationships, our learning, and our peace of mind. 
No one should say to me that we’ll reach a level of peace and contentedness by having more things. We have evidence that tells us that the feeling of contentedness that comes from buying something fades rather quickly after the purchase is made, leaving us feeling just as empty as before.
Many people feel that by acquiring just the right things, they can make other people see them in a positive light, or as having arrived. In other words, they buy their new car or clothes to impress others. They’re often setting themselves up for great disappointment especially when people don’t give them the desired reaction. How can we ever think that material things would be what define or give value and respect to us?
It is not so much about what we have, but who we are!
Since this year, I’ve been working at getting rid of things that I’ve had for a long time, but simply have not used or needed. I will encourage everyone to do same, though it is most times difficult to de cluster but we all just need to find the courage.
Each time I get rid of something, I feel it because it’s a very good lesson to me about just how much crap I’ve acquired, and the much time and money spent, when the resources could have been invested (not spent) in more productive and valuable venture.
The truly important things in life, however, are those which cannot be encountered by the physical senses, purchased with money, or placed on a shelf. 
At the end of the day, when we take a look at what we value most in life, we generally find family, friends, health, peace, contentment, laughter, helping others, and communion with God foremost on our list of priorities.
Abi I lie?

Donald Trump & His Islamophobic Movement | By: Charly Boy

CNN, and the social media has been agog with the latest Donald Trumps declaration of banning Muslims from entering America. For the past few days I have remained fixed on CNN watching how the American media has become so bemused with Trumps soaring position at the polls, regardless of his very wild and unpresidential statements. The fixation on a candidate who trades yabis for substance has become awesome. There seem to be this love hate relationship with the American media. Hummmmmmm! America for show. 

 On the 7th of December 2015 the front runner of the Republican Party, Donald Trump advocated for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” 
Since then Trump has been widely and correctly criticized for this, accused of wanting to reproduce discriminatory policies like those of prewar Europe, when Jews were forcibly registered. But looking at the timeline of events since the Paris attacks, and indeed in the months before them, it becomes clear that Trump isn’t actually the problem here. It has become obvious that Trump is merely indulging a sentiment that was already widespread, especially after the Paris/California shooting.
The fact that Trump has bluntly refused to stand down on his declaration about Muslims which is getting widespread outrage shows how accustomed Americans have become to out-in-the-open anti-Muslim prejudice in the country. Can’t say I blame them that much.
America’s climate of anti-Muslim hatred and fear is on the high rise, a form of bigotry known as Islamophobia, is rampaging out of control. And it has very real and legitimately scary implications for the millions of Americans who follow Islam.
The day after Trump’s “I no send you” comments, a makeshift militia, wearing military-style camo, some of them masked, showed up outside an Islamic center in Irving, Texas, carrying assault rifles and announcing they had come to stop the “Islamization of America.” Where is all of this heading to, one wonders. It’s not that Trump is the cause of such strong anti-Muslim hatred but rather that his comments widely believed and legitimately popular among a slice of Americans is the leading edge of an Islamophobic movement that may turn violent. It may no longer be police shooting Inocent black, but average Americans hunting and killing Muslims.
The threat of violence often has the same theatrical point as violence itself, to terrify and intimidate, to inflict psychological suffering on the targeted group in the form of fear and alienation, to force that targeted group to live a little bit less in the open and more in the shadows. 
So my question is this, for how long will Donald Trump be allowed to fan this Islamophobic messages which is definitely causing the GOPs sleepless nights. Is he going to be the favoured candidate for the republicans. A good meal for Hilarry Clinton if you ask me. How can the excesses of Trump be cut down. For months, Trump has defied the laws of political correctness and gravity by maintaining his lead despite a never-ending string of mis-yarns and controversies. I strongly doubt if his improbable campaign can go the distance
Yesoooo, America may be down for the show. After all, slizzy shows like Jerry Springer was a Hit. But It is time for Americans to restore their political reputation by demonstrating the ability of the American political process to deflate the bubble of a candidate so high on self-importance and so low on policy-specifics. Donald is definitely in for the show, the new Reality show. Maybe very soon, republicans will have this to say. YOU ARE FIRED.

Stop Throwing Our Aged Parents In The Trash Bin – Charly Boy Writes

Life as we all know evolves in stages. From birth, we begin the process of aging. All things being equal, majority of us will grow old. Thus it will be apt to say that aging is inevitable for us. So why do we as a society pay the least attention to this process. What kinda welfare system should we have in order to adequately take care of our aged, (The old people in our society/parents or relatives) especially the ones we love.
For three years before my father passed, he was never paid his pension. My mum is going through the same thing. I keep wondering, what if the financial or emotional means to take care of them was lacking, they probably will be like some of our aged pensioners who probably die standing in line waiting for their pension that never came.
I am of the opinion we are not doing enough as a society. It is deplorable that so many people work and expend all their energy and when they become old, there’s no one to really take care of them. In one episode of my radio show (Talk Junction), we talked about the need for parents to ensure that they bond with their children because we believe that children who have a close bond with their parents are the ones most likely to take charge and care for them in their old age. That’s the way society is meant to evolve.


We as children should be the ones to look after our parents, yes it is the African way. They slaved and spent all their lives looking after us so it is expected that we in return should take care of them. My parents lived with me for several years after their retirement. My widowed mum is 97 years old and I can’t imagine her living anywhere else but with me. Being the primary caregiver and living again under the same roof with your parents is an enormous role reversal.
Most of us living with aged parents find it difficult to balance our own busy schedules with looking after an aged parent so much so that sometimes it could be misconstrued as not caring. For some, it could be that the global financial mess, has left us thinking about self and our survival only. But this piece is about those who can but don’t want to.
I am of the opinion that not just government but also the corporate bodies need to focus more on developing policies that protect this age bracket. In more developed society it is very easy to see a nursing home systems that caters to the old people but how effective can that be in our country. This is a place where most pensioners can’t even get access to their pension after retirement. Corruption has eaten so deep into our various systems that even the basic are not provided by the system. For me nursing homes are so impersonal and that is not our culture in Africa.
For people like us who don’t have the benefits of earning any pension, we are on our own. God forbid that in our old age we become either a liability to our children or worse still, a liability to ourselves. We have all seen the antecedents of government towards the aged and until a miracle happens, I’m not sure that will change anytime soon. I have never worked for anyone so what I’ve done is that through all the years, I have consistently put aside a monthly savings in a fixed account on regular basis which I haven’t touched for over 30 years despite sometimes my financial hardship. Planing, saving and discipline is the key to making the twilight years of our lives easier.
A lot of people wake up to the reality that after years of service, they don’t have much to show for it and that can lead to bitterness in old age. My summary on this will be to advice all of us to learn to cultivate the habit of saving for this phase of our life’s. We must imbibe the attitude of saving for the rainy day and our old age is the rainy day.     


One day, we as parents won’t be able to drive, to climb stairs, or maybe even change our own clothes or feed ourselves. As painful as thinking about this might be, we need to prepare for our comfort and safety in the last stages of our lives. My  prayer for us parents is to have children who will keep us company in our old age, maybe take care of us with love and anything else. Ka chineke mezieokwu.

The Unstoppable You | By: Charly Boy

Who
do you know? CharlyBoy or Charles Oputa?
Everyone
of us face challenges everyday, sometimes, we can get over it on our own but
other times, we need to draw inspiration from other people’s life story to make
us realize that we can go as far or fly as high as we want to if only we Dare
to Believe. This is about The Unstoppable You. But first, allow me to introduce
Mr Charles Oputa to you, the inventor of the brand you all know today as
CharlyBoy, The AreaFada.
I
would like to share with you my story of Drive, Determination and Discipline,
maybe it can help you start to believe in yourself.
I
grew up with an overdose of very strong family values, spirituality, morality,
integrity, character and love which was somehow engraved in my DNA. Like most
regular people, I come from a comfortable middle class family, my upbringing notwithstanding,
growing up as an Oputa wasn’t easy for me. My parents had their own idea of
what they expected my future to be especially my dad, but my dream was very
different from theirs. In the beginning there was no love lost between my late
father and I. His tough love led me to believe he was a bully, an overbearing,
cantankerous old-school parent, but from an early age, instinctively I knew I
wanted to stand out. To be outstanding, to be miles away from the norm, I knew I
never wanted to live under anyone’s shadow. I wanted my name to be a household
name. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to be a legend of some sort, so you
can imagine the many conflicts I had as a young man with my parents for
deviating from the path they had chosen for me.
My
Guys, The hardest struggle of all is to be something different from what the
average, regular, ordinary person is.
I
want to ask, Should anybody believe in you if you don’t believe in
yourself? 
Hummmm
I don’t think so. The hardest path we all must walk is the path we walk on our
own. Alone. The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone. So we need
to be tenacious, consistent, focused, determined and believe that you and only
you can make your dreams come through. Oh! Yes, goals and dreams are
achievable, once you have a dream that is motivated by your driving force.
 So,
I want to encourage you to believe that no matter your background, you can be
what you wanna be as long as you BELIEVE. 
In
1979 after my masters degree in Emerson University USA.  I came back
to Nigeria to start my career. I only spent 5yrs in America. 
My
late dad was an outstanding Supreme Court Judge so through his influence and of
course my qualification, I had several white collar jobs waiting for me all of
which I turned down because I had this crazy dream of becoming a world famous
entertainer. My family was very scandalized by my chosen path. The headlines in
the news didn’t even help matters and though my Mum was very understanding, my
father on the order hand actually thought I was crazy. I say crazy because a
lot of People out there too thought that the flamboyant image I built as
Charlyboy was crazy, weird, too loud, a bad influence to the youths, not
acceptable, perceived as not responsible especially for the family image. A lot
of times in the beginning of my career I also thought I might just be crazy.
But then again I figured that Martian Luther King Jr. was crazy because He Had
A Dream, The Wright brothers were crazy because they dreamt of flying, Nelson
Mandela was crazy for allowing himself to be in prison for such a long time
because of his dream of ending apartheid. Bringing it home, even our own Fela
Kuti was crazy for standing up to the government in defence of the poor masses.
So? what if am crazy in a very cool and calculating way that turns my dreams
into reality. 
Through
all of the stigmatisation, I have come to realize that when  we lose
the right to be different, we lose the privilege to be free.    
       
My
determination pushed me forward and gave me the impetus to do me. I tell you
all from experience that The one thing you should never allow yourself to lose
in the pursuit of your DREAM regardless of any obstacles, is your DETERMINATION
and your DRIVE. I Charles Oputa, made the most significant life changing
decision that has brought Charlyboy to where he is today. 
In
1981 I moved to my village in Oguta, Imo State to get  away from my
disbelieving father, to hide away from the disbelieving society who saw me as a
rich spoilt  kid who had nothing better to do with his life. I moved
and settled in the village to get away from the prying eyes of the public, to
start my career on my own terms just like I had dreamt it.
My
seven year sojourn in the village was the hardest life teaching lessons. I call
it the dark years of my life, all I had going for me was just my dream, my
drive and my determination. I had no money, I was embarrassingly broke, the
village had no light, no running water. My wife and I always went to the private
stream to fetch water. In those days as a young African American she thought
the whole experience was exotic, she felt at home because she figured she found
her Roots but for me it was a living Hell. I couldn’t even afford to feed my
family so my wife had to go back to America  to get a job and support
us. I opened a small shanti where I sold alcohol and pepper soup to the locals
to survive! It was that bad. Yes It was hell on earth. But I graduated with
flying colors from The Street University, yes the university of hard knocks
where you build the drive and determination no human can take away from you.
These
are the most  important combination we need to succeed in life.
DETERMINATION, DRIVE and DISCIPLINE. Once you have this combinations, you
become UNSTOPPABLE. And like I said, When we lose the right to be different, we
lose the privilege to be free. This became my daily song in my
head.  Oh yes, life has beaten me down so many times over, but I
never stayed down, my belief in my dream would never allow me retrace my steps.
Giving up was no option. Godforbid.
Throughout
this journey another important character I was forced to learn was discipline.
I learnt how to discipline my thoughts by focusing on the ways I could go about
shaping my dream, I opened a small studio and started doing recording for
myself and others.
We
need to understand that in this journey of life, there are stages we all need
to go through before we get to our ultimate goal. We must go through the
process of life. I understood early that the stay in the village was a process
I had to go through to move to my next Level. 
So
In 1989 I moved from the village Oguta to Lagos and the next chapter of my life
began but not without the scars of the last seven years. My confidence level was
at its lowest, my self esteem disappeared.  I was broken and broke
however that trip to Lagos became the rebirth that the brand Charlyboy needed
and 38 years later, you have seen CharlyBoy the musician, CharlyBoy the
entertainer, CharlyBoy the publisher, the author, the producer, presenter, the
activist, the motivator, gothic charlyboy, weird charlyboy, crazy charlyboy,
charlyboy the philanthropist, charlyboy the husband, the father, the
grandfather and by the special grace of God the great grandfather to be soon.
Abegi, make una clap for me.
Reflecting
on my 64 years on earth, I have come to understand that we all must pay our
DUES in the pursuit of our DREAMS? I dare say that I’ve achieved most of my
dreams and what was my joker?, I did It My Way, I Dared To Be Different..
So,
What is holding you back from making that life changing decisions I had to make
several years ago, by going to the village.
You
are UNSTOPPABLE if you believe you are. CHALLENGES will definitely come but you
must learn to hold on. You must be tenacious, consistent and disciplined. An
undisciplined life is the surest path to failure. So in our pursuit, we must
learn to be disciple about our money, our time, our integrity, our
responsibilities.
 So
today I say to you, no matter your chosen field, in the Art or the Science, the
only way you can stand out and be outshining is if you Dare to be different,
don’t live anyone’s dream but your own. Never stop being YOU but most
importantly, never stop believing in yourself!. What I am and how I feel is
simply my choice, others may not come to agree with me but really I hold my
head up high and am proud to be UNSTOPPABLE and so should you.
I
am Charles Oputa, Charlyboy, the Area Fada.

Wedding Tinz |By: Charly Boy

Last week as I stayed glued to CNN because of the forth coming American election, I saw a mini documentary on Weddings, The Naija style. I must say that from time, we do know how to put on a show, especially my brothers from the west.

We as Africans are generally boisterous people. We love events and for us, everything is a large party and the larger the party, the more successful an occasion is interpreted to be. Naming ceremonies, weddings, even funerals have become one big jamboree and my personal opinion is that we are losing the significance of this occasions which are meant to be solemn by the noisy chaos we have around it. I’m particularly going to focus on wedding tins.
Several months ago, my last son came to me to talk about his impending marriage and of course the wedding planning came up. He was expecting to have a high society wedding at my expense (Hmmm see jobbing) but I told the young lad that it is whatever he can save for his wedding that will be the budget for it.

Nobody paid for mine so he has to be disciplined enough to raise the money he needs for his. Of course as an entertainer and a showbiz personality it is easy to surmise that I will like large occasions shown by my late father’s burial which was a carnival of sort, but I still think that most of what we spend is unnecessary. Let me begin by saying that in modern days, the ceremony of weddings has become more important than the marriage act itself. Which is why we find the fragile institution of marriage collapsing.
I’ll have to say to some certain degree that elaborate functions are not always a bad idea especially when the person hosting it is spending money as a result of their hard work and not stolen or borrowed money.
It is normal for people to show off and have elaborate and flamboyant ceremonies, that’s one of the factors that differentiate us from animals. I also believe that simple is beautiful, but some occasions call for an elaborate celebration especially when it’s a once in a life time event. What better way to make the moment memorable than to make it elegant. However, what I find most worrisome is that some people go as far as borrowing money from the banks, other financial institutions, friends and family members just to celebrate weddings, burials, birthday parties, and the most upsetting part, is that after the show is over, then you still see them long after, struggling to meet up with the basic daily requirements of living? Why can’t they have a business plan in which they can invest that money and get returns or something more profitable.
One of my favorite sayings is, “cut your coat according to your size not your neighbor’s size” abegi. Why must one go a borrowing just to impress people when the aftermath of the ceremony leaves you in debt especially at the point where you have to start to think of someone else in regards to raising a family.
My advice to young people is that it’s not how expensive your occasion is that guarantees a stable married life. Instead of spending such a huge amount, to have an elaborate wedding and when the debts pile up, the quarrels will begin, the advice I give young couples is that they should have a long financial discussion before marriage, issues like who pays what bills and when should be addressed. One of the major conflicts people have in marriages is always financially related so it is very important to have this talk about the kind of financial future they want to have and strategize on how they intend to achieve it. Abi? Weytin you think.

Charly boy drums up support for Majek Fashek's rehabilitation.

Nigerian music star, Charles Oputa, also known as CharlyBoy has drummed up support for the rehabilitation of ailing musician,  Majek Fashek. ‎Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, the social crusader noted that “the worst thing we can do is stand and watch when we see someone struggling in agony, especially when their pain is self inflicted. It is no longer news that the rain maker is a sorry shadow of himself plagued by issues larger than his self discipline.”
“Majek Fashek is our own; let’s see how we can heal our rain maker who needs all the love and understanding he can get right now. ‎I know quite a few well meaning Nigerians have contributed to his rehabilitation, but I still encourage others to help see the healing of this great musician become a reality.
He continued, “It is our collective effort to help rehabilitate him as a social responsibility of fighting this hard drug menace that is wasting so many of our youths. I remember this very handsome man with a good heart and we had worked together a long time ago at the start of his beautiful but truncated music career.

“He is a multi- talented artiste of international repute, whose hit rendition `Send down the Rain’ still does exactly that anytime it is played- sending the shivers down our spines. It used to be my favorite song from his album, and till today, I can sing his lyrics many years after.
“He brewed that song right in my studio in Oguta, in the seven months he spent with me there as an in-house producer. He was so promising, so full of dreams that it breaks my heart to see him so degenerated and entirely disconnected today.” ‎
“Looking at him now, I say to myself, it could have been me or any of us. Some people are not so lucky to imbibe self discipline for things that are destructive to them, however, that doesn’t necessarily make those of us better human beings for being able to.
“I know it can be a huge heartache watching someone you love struggle with an addiction or have a mental illness but the good news is that it is curable. When we show more love as parents, friends, associates, spouses, brothers or sisters, we help the people going through this struggle feel good about themselves,” he added.

"We will be watching with bated breath." Charly boy writes an open letter to General Buhari.

Singer cum writer has written an open letter to  President-Elect, General Muhammadu Buhari as he assumes office on May 29. Charly boy has advised him to choose his workers based on merit and not on sentiments. His article below.

Oga GMB,

How far? I trust you have been getting enough rest and getting ready for the mother of all battles in your life. You know how hard and how long you have fought for this and now that you have it, we can’t wait to see how our lives will change!You must understand that our expectations are high, but you can’t blame us too much. 


By faith or design, you have become a symbol of renaissance for a nation that has been battered by mismanagement and unprecedented corruption. Kai! Odiegwu!

Many of us were sold on your Change Campaign, tired of the usual statuesque and many more just wanted a better life for ourselves and our loved ones. All eyes are on you, I trust you know that by now. This Change should demonstrate to us possibilities, hope again for the youths of this country and a channeling back to those core values which we hold sacred. Anything less will be same of the same.  Shey you get?
Fact from fiction, truth from rhetoric, I know that it is foolhardy to expect that one individual alone can by himself/herself bring about this Change we desperately need and earnestly desire. However, inasmuch as you need to raise a viable team to work with, using the formula of zoning won’t cut it. 
My earnest advice to you is to choose officers and men strictly on merit and not necessarily what geopolitical zone they come from. Remember, this same zoning formula has been used at different times in this country, and each time, it has failed. The issue of zoning coming up now again is a reminder of times in the past that we desperately want to forget. Same of the same?
I would want to believe that you have come to heal and fix the rot.
It will never be easy because of the wolves and sharks amongst us who benefit big time from the corruption, the poverty, the confusion and hopelessness they inflict on Nigerians.
So after May 29th, as you put on your boxing gloves and crank your whip, we will be watching with bathed breath to see not only the will to fight this battle but the sincerity and strategies to lead us on the path of true healing for our broken Nation. Biko.
Oga me, e don set oooooo.
Much Respect,
Na me.
AreaFada, Charlyboy

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