By Joshua Olomu

Veteran showbiz maestro, Charles Oputa, popularly known as CharlyBoy, says he has no regret for ‘walking his own path’, including his involvement in activism, as he clocks 75.

The all-time social activist stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

The Septuagenarian, who initially aspired to become a priest, left the seminary after one year.

Oputa said he was a complete opposite of what his late father represented because he was eager to chart his own path.

According to the ‘Areafada, as CharlyBoy is fondly called by his admirers, he opted for music and embraced the streets, dashing the high hopes of his father for him.

He said while his father was a legal luminary, he rebelled against parental interference in his career path with a determination to fight for the oppressed, a decision he paid dearly for, but never regretted.

CharlyBoy recounted how he rejected the plum job at Mobil Oil and Gas that was for him by his influential father on his return from the US after his studies.

According to him, rejecting that job, however, triggered the anger and a beef that lingered between father and son for years.

“I only wanted to break out of my father’s shadow.

“I have no regret whatsoever, as life’s experience have built me into a stronger and fulfilled man,’’ he said.

CharlyBoy said he has no regrets because even if there was something bad that happened, there was a lesson to learn from it.

“I came from a very good home; my father wasn’t a rich man at all, though he wasn’t a poor man also. He just lived according to his means, on his salary.

“I thank God for the upbringing; I thank God for all the moral codes that were handed down by my father to me, which has made me to understand the essence of life itself.

“I am not a money man, I am not all about money; I am simple, humble, and I am contented above everything, these are the qualities handed down by my father.

“Today is my birthday and I just thank God that he still kept me alive and I will say that I have no regret looking back at my journey.

“I am spending my birthday on my bed, I am not going anywhere, no party, but taking phone calls and all the messages that are coming, and just chilling,” he said.

The maverick activist said plans were underway to unveil his memoir “999”, an intriguing story of his life’s journey so far.

He said the book was a tell-it-all tale of how he fought personal wars, rebelled against and disowned his parents and married four times before he turned 36.

NAN reports that Charles Oputa, born on June 19, 1950, is the son of renowned former Supreme Court Justice, Chukwudifu Oputa.

He is a foremost singer-songwriter, television presenter, actor and producer, and he is known for his alternative lifestyle, political views, and media productions.

He was the host of the popular “The Charly Boy Show’, a 2011 judge for the talent hunt show ‘Nigeria Idol’, and a former president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria.

He has been married to African-American singer and former fashion designer Diane for over 40 years, with children.

The “Areafada” is known as an advocate of the masses as he has fought for the rights of ordinary Nigerians and had on several occasions been tortured by security operatives for standing up to authorities.

In the mid-nineties CharlyBoy fought for the rights of military pensioners during the Detachable military dispensation, by marching to the defence headquarters in Abuja to demand payment of their pension arrears.

In 2017, Charly Boy led ‘Our Mumu Don Do’ movement, and participated in a daily sit out protest alongside other activists.

The movement was to call on President Muhammadu Buhari then to resume office or resign after the President had spent over 60 days outside the country on a health visit to the UK. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Joseph Edeh