Veteran singer and social activist Charles Oputa, also known as Charly Boy, has been criticized after his comment questioning the mental health of Nobel Prize winner Wole Soyinka.
Charly Boy, in a post on his X account and Instagram on Monday, advised Nigerians to approach the statements and actions of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka with caution.
He said that Soyinka could be experiencing brain deterioration due to his old age, noting that this could be influencing Soyinka’s recent rhetoric and behaviors.
He expressed concern over the inability of Soyinka’s family and his close associates to protect him from opportunistic politicians.
He also emphasized the importance of vigilance among concerned Nigerians to prevent exploitation of Soyinka’s health condition for political purposes.
“Professor Wole Soyinka is over 80 years old and even approaching 90 years old. For his age, some level of brain deterioration is not unexpected. His rhetoric and actions in recent times suggest a deterioration of the brain disease and as such , should not be taken too seriously.
“What should worry us as well-intentioned Nigerians is how his family and close friends cannot protect themselves from the agents of desperate politicians who are hell-bent on exploiting his medical situation for their benefit, no matter how far the once-respected Nobel Laureate falls,” he wrote. Charlie Boy.
This, however, did not sit well with netizens who felt the statement was insulting.
An Instagram user #Phorlarjuwon questioned Charly Boy’s contribution to the development of the nation.
Phorlarjuwon said: “As a lost man that you are, I believe you can do better than this… As a man woman, what have you personally contributed to the betterment of the nation? I guess nothing. I didn’t think you had affected this nation in any positive way. Now we know who needs to visit a doctor. How another man’s opinion became your problem because you don’t share the same perspective is what exposes how messed up your mind is. People who assume that you will influence their life in a positive way should also consult a doctor.”
Another user, #Vesterz011, wrote: “I hope that when you reach that age, you can handle this kind of messages, because it will definitely come back.”
On X.com, #Quakes9ja, who tweets anonymously as Kweku Elenitoba-Johnson, wrote: “Address the man’s claims first before insulting him.”
Another follower said: “I think you could have made your point without insults, people look up to you. I think we can reduce the tension of a volatile situation if we really want to keep our eye on the ball, but starting to talk about people’s mental health with backhanded praise is not nice at all. Politics is planning and strategy, insults on social media would achieve that. People listen to you, mobilize them in a way that works and votes will not be counted based on insults and social media posts. Peace.”
