The ‘Idiotic Renaming’ Of Charly Boy To Olamide Bus Stop
By Muyiwa Olayinka
On the last day of his tenure as the council chairman of Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos State, Hon. Kolade Alabi David chose that day to behave like a “house boy” of his political idol, President Tinubu and exhibited his sycophancy.
He joins the ranks of Nyesom Wike, the FCT minister, to flagrantly rename public institutions after Tinubu. Shebi, you know that the International Conference Center in Abuja was renamed Bola Ahmed Tinubu International Conference Centre after he completed the rehabilitation of the building.
Alabi David renamed these streets from:
Ilaje Road → King Sunny Ade Road
Bariga Road → Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way
Community Road, Akoka → Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu Road
Ajidagan Street → Olamide Adedeji (Baddo) Street
Ifeanyi Street → Abolore Akande (9ice) Street
Ayodele Street, Ladi-Lak → Tony Tetuila Street
Ilojo Crescent, Obanikoro → Bukayo Saka Street.
The next time you drive along Bariga Street, don’t be surprised to see Bola Ahmed Tinubu Way. Alabi David was smart by half by concealing his real intentions in adding these other streets, but his main target is the renaming of Charly Boy, a popular bust stop along the Gbagada-Oworonshoki expressway. It is now to be called the Badoo bus stop.
Badoo is the nickname of the popular Nigerian rapper, Olamide Adedeji. Curiously, both Charly Boy (real name Charles Oputa) and Olamide are two prominent entertainers that have contributed positively to the Nigerian music industry. Charly Boy, in addition to being an entertainer, is also an activist that has fought against many injustices in the country.
Charly Boy, an avid supporter of Okada riders in Nigeria—an organization that has been frowned on by the government, as they have been regarded as a menace and unsafe transportation—fought for the rights of Okada users, most of whom are poor individuals who earn their living by using the Okada for commercial purposes. This is where he earned his nickname “Area Fada.”
This contentious bus stop used to be called Pedro bus stop, but because Charly Boy was living in a rented house that was close to the bus stop, that is how the name stuck. He took his activism to the electronic media with his Charly Boy show. Charly Boy was popular on Nigerian television in the 90s, and it became a household name.
Charly Boy is also an ardent supporter of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections. Obidients, the name given to Peter Obi’s political movement, has been a thorn in the flesh to the ruling party, APC. Obi won Lagos State, the home base of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the presidential election, which sent a shock wave to the ruling party. Since 2023, the APC politicians have seen Peter Obi and his supporters, the Obidients, as their political enemy. This has created a division between Igbo and the Yoruba, the two dominant ethnic groups from the southern part of Nigeria.
The renaming of this popular bus stop in Lagos is the continuation of deepening political rifts, most especially between Yoruba and Igbo living in Lagos State. This situation is deteriorating, and if it is not checked, the animosity these wicked politicians are trying to create will continue and be passed to the next generation. Already, the politicians have already divided the current generation along ethnic and religious lines. My fear is that the next generation will not be infected with this deadly virus.
I am optimistic about the next generation because the ENDSARS protest of 2020 was a revolutionary protest, devoid of ethnicity and religious alignment, that took the nation by storm. Also in the entertainment industry, Nigerian youths have collaborated with each other seamlessly. Olamide has collaborated with Phyno, another artist of Igbo extraction. Davido and many Igbo artists, such as Odumodublvck, and other entrepreneurs, like Chief Priest Cubana, have not been infected by ethnic rivalry.
Olamide has always been a humble and respectful young man who gives credit to legends before him. I believe he will not pander to the whims and caprices of these mischievous politicians. I like the way Charly Boy reacted to this political gaffe. He said, and I quote, “So, to all the small minds and timid hearts, you may change the name, but you will never kill the legacy.”
This is a legacy in the minds of many residents in Lagos State, so don’t be surprised the next time you pass through this bus stop; Lagosians will still call it Charly Boy Stop. Is this renaming not idiotic?
