Criticism has arisen against Charly Boy, the unconventional singer, after advising Nigerians to approach the statements and actions of Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka with caution.

In a statement on Instagram, Charly Boy expressed concerns about Soyinka’s age, suggesting that at nearly 90 years old, brain loss might be expected.

He stated that this could be influencing Soyinka’s recent rhetoric and behaviours.

The 73-year-old singer stated worries about how Soyinka’s family and close associates seem unable to shield him from the influence of opportunistic politicians exploiting his health condition for their gain.

Charly Boy shared these views on his Instagram page, noting the need for vigilance among well-meaning Nigerians regarding the exploitation of Soyinka’s situation for political purposes.

Charly Boy wrote: “Prof. Wole Soyinka is aged over 80yrs, even tending towards 90yrs. For his age, some level of brain deterioration is not unexpected. His rhetorics and actions in recent times is suggestive of deteriorating brain desease, and as such he shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

“What we shld be worried about as well-meaning Nigerians, is how his family and close friends can’t ward off agents of desperate politicians who are bent on exploiting his medical situation to their advantage, no matter how low it sinks the once respected Nobel laureate.”
However, his statement triggered disagreement among Charly Boy’s followers.

A netizen posted, “I hope when you get to that age, you actually handle this kind of message, because it’s definitely coming back.”

Another follower said, “I think you could have made your point without insults, people look up to you. I believe we can de-escalate a volatile situation if we really want to keep our eyes on the ball, but to start speaking on people’s mental health with backhanded compliments isn’t savoury. Politics is planning and strategy, social media insults would achieve that. People listen to you, mobilise them in a way that works, and votes will not be counted based on social media insults and posts. Peace”.