Nigerian entertainer and activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has revealed that he got married at 19 and had his first child at 17.
According to The PUNCH, Charly Boy said he now has 16 grandchildren, with his first grandchild being 24 or 25 years old.
He said, “Yes, it is true. I got married very early and started family life very early. At 17, I had my first child. My first son will be 51 this year. I have about 16 grandchildren. My first grandchild is like 24 or 25 years old. I have been a strong-headed person from childhood. I think that stubbornness started from the womb.”
Charly Boy acknowledged that becoming a father at a young age was challenging, as he was not emotionally prepared for the responsibilities that came with it.
He initially denied his first two children, but eventually accepted his role as a father. His mother arranged his first marriage, which ended when he left Nigeria at the age of 20.
He said, “O yes. I was immature at that time. I was a small boy. I didn’t know anything then. I was not prepared to be a father. I was always surprised that once I made love to any woman, the next minute, pregnancy would follow.
“I didn’t even understand. I even denied my first two children at first, saying they couldn’t have been mine because all the girls around me were just getting pregnant anyhow. By the time I turned 19 or so, my mother decided, in the family’s best interest, that I must marry.
“She was the one who chose the wife for me. Then again, I wasn’t prepared for that marriage but I went along with the programme. At least, I knew I didn’t have to pay to make love to anyone for a while. At about 20 or so, when I left Nigeria, that was how that marriage ended. At that time, I was immature and didn’t know what fatherhood meant.”
