Charly Boy Calls Renaming of Bariga Bus Stop After Olamide “A Little Silly and Petty”

Veteran entertainer and human-rights activist Charles Chukwuemeka Oputa, widely known as Charly Boy, has publicly criticized the decision by Bariga Local Council Development Area in Lagos State to rename the well-known Charly Boy Bus Stop to Baddo Bus Stop in honour of rap artist Olamide Adedeji, also known as Baddo. He described the move as “a little silly and petty,” stating that such actions cannot erase his decades-long legacy.

Charly Boy responded to the renaming on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on July 25, 2025, when Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu commissioned a broader street-renaming initiative across Bariga. The project included renaming Ajidagan Street to Olamide Adedeji (Baddo) Street, along with other streets named after notable figures such as 9ice, Tony Tetuila, King Sunny Ade, and Bukayo Saka.

In his remarks, Charly Boy emphasized the difference between changing a physical name and erasing a legacy. He said, “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!”

He further suggested the renaming was driven by fear—the fear of a man who challenged the system and remained unbroken. Charly Boy pointed out that the bus stop's original name was given by the Bariga and Gbagada communities in recognition of his activism, not by political figures. He insisted that any attempt to change the name cannot undo the truth of that legacy, saying, “Area Fada no dey finish … He’s a movement. He’s an institution. He’s a warning.”