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…Says sharing N8,000 palliative is nonsense mathematics
By Christy Anyanwu
Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy or Area Fada, is a popular musician and outspoken activist, who always champions the cause of the masses.
In this interview, he spoke about the state of the nation, the general election, leaders and followers, among others.
Though you are a big man, how are you coping with the fuel subsidy removal and the increase in cost of living?
I’m not a big man. Nothing is big about me. I am ordinary like you. I go through the same pain like you. I have the same frustration in my environment like you and because I have certain values and principles as handed down by my father, it becomes almost impossible to survive in this kind of toxic environment. That is people like me o! So, you can imagine lesser beings. The same answer any other ordinary citizen would give is what I am giving. Nigeria is almost going salty. We are losing our country to criminals and bandits and people who don’t have any business with leadership, and it’s so unfortunate. I am only here, I am only insisting on staying put because I have hope and ‘anybody wey no get hope for his life may as well go and hang himself or herself’ because, without hope, why do we live? If we don’t hope that things will get better, how do we forge ahead? It’s only that hope that gives that energy. You know, even before the campaign started, I had threatened, I said: ‘if APC or PDP wins, me I go just japa one time, I no go look back’. But something happened and kept me going. That is the hope of a new Nigeria of my dreams. For more than 40 years, I have fought so many battles but, every time, every outing, every protest, it’s like things keep getting worse and worse and worse. So, for some people who can’t take it any longer, what do they do? They ‘japa’ and you know there are millions of Nigerians who are running away from this concentration camp. Because I have hope, I believe in a new Nigeria. A new Nigeria is possible. I have often talked to myself, how long will this continue? Because after night comes morning and, very soon, hopefully, our morning will come.
Since you believe in ‘hope’ and this government’s mantra is “Renewed Hope”, does that mean it tallies with what you have in mind?
Which government? Which government? ‘You no hear when I tell you say, if APC or PDP win the election, me I go japa? Anything wey PDP, APC dey talk, we know say na Bubuyaya’. That is not the hope I’m looking for. Can you imagine what has happened in the past 60 days? Suffering intensified, renewed shege. Is that hope? If that is the hope you are referring to, keep it for yourself. That is not the hope I want. That is not the hope I’m looking for. That’s not the hope that has kept me still in Nigeria. If you can’t tell the difference, let me buttress, because a country is deserving of the leadership it gets; ‘if some people say their mumu na family inheritance, oya, na dem know. If dem say na follow come, oya, na dem know’. In all these garbage and rubbish, I still believe one thing, I still believe in the exceptional youths of Nigeria. Even though it’s not something I care to say all the time, but I’m 70-plus. Am I a professional protester? I know that a lot of outstanding young people have passed through the Charly Boy University. I know young people that have gained my respect because they are exceptional and outstanding, and I believe in the exceptional youths of Nigeria. Explain to me, why is it that when Nigerians, especially the young ones, when they leave the shores of the country to a better environment where they don’t have to bother about light, food and water, they excel? That means there’s something wrong in the environment we are living in. If you don’t know what it is and pretend to be looking at the other side because of tribe and religion, then you are not ready.
As Area Fada who has been defending the masses, how do you feel that the people you are defending now appear helpless?
I feel very bad because the wish of every father is that his offspring will do way better than they did, but the environment has not allowed many young people that I believe in to do better. So, I cannot be happy. It is not for lack of effort. It is not for lack of creativity. It’s just the fact that the system is not okay. I know I have lazy children. I also have hardworking children, and I have intelligent children. The pride of every father, like I said, is that ‘him pikin go do better. Na the pikin wey do better than him papa na him be correct pikin’. In fact, most of my children should have been way better. If you ask me how I feel, I feel sad, I feel disappointed, because this is not an enabling environment for young people to thrive and that is the root of my frustration in Nigeria. For me, ‘I don dey pass boundary, wetin remain again?’ I just say, God give me good health so that I live the rest of my life in peace. But will I get the peace? ‘Everywhere don scatter, everywhere na potopoto.’ But I thank God that in all this mess there are still some of my children saying, ‘We have hope Nigeria is going to be better’. That is what is gingering me o, that I still have pikin wey never spoil in this toxic environment that we find ourselves. That’s the only thing keeping me alive today.
What is the cause of the ‘wahala’ going on in Nigeria and how can the country remedy it?
The cause of the ‘wahala’ is that criminals have taken over the country, which is unfortunate. And when criminals take over leadership, it is no longer about the people, it’s about themselves. There’s an English saying that goes like this: you can’t make omelette without breaking eggs. My children should all understand that in this struggle for a new and better Nigeria, because we have been sleeping for all this while, we have been sleeping for a long time, we allow certain negative elements to occupy positions of power, which shouldn’t be. Before, it was, ‘which one is my own?’ Most of the young people were saying, ‘which one concerns me? As long as I’m doing my business and prospering in my business, nothing about politics concerns me’. That is wrong. Now, they are beginning to feel they cannot leave politics in the hands of politicians, especially when they have criminal intents, especially when you know they have a thief’s antecedents, especially when they lie and do all manner of things that would always put ordinary people like you and I in a very uncomfortable situation, because they do not care about us. But I’m glad at the way they are being challenged now. I’m glad that the truth and nothing, but the whole truth is coming out. For those who insist that it’s because of tribe, it’s because of religion, they would still stay put with the rubbish and nonsense. I wish they could create a different Nigeria for these people and let them enjoy themselves and leave the people who are yearning for a better Nigeria. We need better ways of doing things, a humane leadership, a leadership that has a human face, a leadership that is based on integrity and love for the people. We need to fight it. Young people need to fight it. They should not depend on Jesus Christ o, because Jesus Christ is not coming tomorrow. They can’t depend on all the role models in the past because some of them are worn out, they are tired, they are sick, and they may not be healthy. Datti Baba Ahmed once said in one seminar I attended with him in London: “Yes, all eyes will be on the judiciary,” which should be, if you ask me. I am the son of a reputable jurist, who believed in justice, but everything in this country has been bastardised. Corruption is all over the place. Corruption has become our legal tender and that is why young people believe that leadership is about integrity and it’s about holding leaders accountable. I still believe there’s hope, no matter how bad it may look. That is what is keeping me in Nigeria. So, I believe in the exceptional Nigeria. I believe that the salvation of this country lies in the hands of its exceptional people. Who are these people? Nigerian youths. ‘But no bi all of them, omo. Because, many of them, their mumu still never do. But I know, many of them their mumu don do’. So, those are the people I’m banking on to rescue all of us, including myself.
Palliatives to cushion the fuel subsidy removal hardship, infrastructure funds for 36 states and the N8,000 disbursement to poor families have been announced, what is your take on these?
The palliatives they did before, for almost eight years (under Buhari), ‘e reach you? Any one reach you?
No, sir.
Why should I believe the N8,000 go reach you? How do you want me to believe that this N8,000 go reach you? ‘How you go borrow money and be sharing money? No be make you go borrow money to build industry so that people go get jobs? Is it about sharing money? Which kind nonsense mathematics be that?’ You already owe, you are borrowing more money so you can distribute money, not build industries, not to look for a way that young people who are so disenfranchised in this useless, hopeless system can thrive, at least have something doing. Since OBJ (President Olusegun Obasanjo), I don’t believe in government. I don’t believe in whatever they say because na them them; except OBJ, that’s the only leadership I see in Nigeria that stands out. Anything after that na barbash. If you are asking me how I feel about the palliatives, how do I feel, when I know the government is a bloody liar, always inflicting hardship on the people. We were thinking that the past eight years was the worst, ‘na now we go see shege banza barawo’. I don’t believe in anything the government says until we start to do things properly. Because you cannot be borrowing and not building industries and create opportunities for young people to thrive. You want to give them N8,000. ‘Wetin N8,000 go buy?’ Can it feed you for two days? Is that the solution to our problem, N8,000?
Government said the N8,000 is meant for the most vulnerable in the society and would go a long way for them…
For how many hours or days? ‘Dem never go market to know how things dey cost? You yourself asking me questions, wetin N8,000 go do you? Wetin you want make I tell you?’ Are we all not part of the masses?
What do you think about some people saying you have abandoned the masses you are defending to live in highbrow area of Lagos?
Because I am living in Ikoyi abi? Tell the people that they are mumu; their mumu is their family inheritance. So, because I have moved, I will see white and call it black? ‘Na dem get their mouth’. I know when people are objective. I know when they are being sarcastic. And I know when they are simply arrogantly ignorant. So, I can’t be explaining myself. Anything they like they say. They also said I’m gay, they say I’m a cultist. ‘Na you get your mouth, make you dey talk’. Being truthful in Nigeria has its consequences. The kind of leadership we have wants everybody to become a criminal; they want everybody to be a liar. I can’t get on the bandwagon. I would rather die.
