Charly Boy speaks on renaming of his bus stop after Olamide Badoo

Lagos is engulfed in controversy after the Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) decided to rename the famous “Charly Boy Bus Stop” in honor of Afrobeats artiste, Olamide Adedeji, better known by his stage name Olamide Baddo.

The action has been strongly denounced by veteran entertainer and human rights advocate Charles Oputa, better known by his stage names Charly Boy or Area Fada, who calls it a “calculated attempt to erase his decades of activism”.

Kolade David, the outgoing chairman of the Bariga LCDA, announced the renaming of the bus stop, which he said was an attempt to recognize those who had made Bariga proud and improved Nigeria’s reputation internationally.

“Ajidagan Street will now be called Olamide Adedeji Badoo Street. That means that Charly Boy Bus Stop will now be changed to Baddo Bus Stop, no more Charly Boy,” David stated.

Other notable renamings were also made as a result of this exercise, such as Ilojo Crescent to Bukayo Saka Street, Bariga Road to Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way, and Ilaje Road to King Sunny Ade Road.

Charly Boy, however, didn’t take long to voice his intense disapproval. He said that the renaming was not just symbolic in a statement that was shared on his X (previously Twitter) handle.

‘‘Dem say dey don chang the name of Charly Boy Bus Stop.

Hmmm. Very interesting.But let me remind you of something simple:

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‘‘You can rename a place… but you can’t rename a legacy.

You can replace the signboard… but you can’t erase the spirit.

And you definitely can’t silence a voice that shook your tables for decades!

‘‘This is not just about a bus stop. This is about fear.Fear of a boy who refused to bow. Fear of a man who challenged the oppressors. Fear of a man who didn’t beg the system to be accepted.

‘‘So what do timid people do? They change the name like e go wash away their shame. Bariga, Gbagada, the entire Lagos knows the truth. That name Charly Boy Bus Stop was not given by politicians. It was named by the people the same people Fada fought for, walked with, and empowered.

‘‘They may change the signboard. They may pretend not to remember. But let me remind them Area Fada no dey Finish. He didn’t need to sing sweet songs to be accepted. He didn’t need to wear agbada to beg for titles.

‘‘He’s a movement. He’s an institution. He’s a warning. So to all the small minds and timid hearts. You may change the name…But you will NEVER kill the legacy.

‘‘This name Charly Boy is carved into the history of Nigeria,

Written boldly in the streets of Bariga,Etched into the minds of those who still dare to question authority. Legacy isn’t on a signboard. It’s in the hearts you changed, the voices you awakened, and the fear you planted in corrupt souls.

‘‘So go ahead, change the name. But remember You can’t change the truth. You can’t erase fire. Area Fada no dey finish.’’ Charly Boy wrote on his official X page.

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