Charles Oputa, AKA Charlyboy, recently got everyone talking when he showed up at the memorial service of his father, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, with his own ‘throne’ and a pair of funny dressed ladies who stood behind him while the ceremony went on.
Speaking to Vanguard, the Maverick entertainer gave his reasons for the actions.
“First of all, I am not a church goer. I am a Buddhist, though I was born into the Catholic doctrine. And part of my reason for not going to church is the fact that I have been to a lot of churches. For the first 20 years of my life, I was a mass servant. I was an ‘altar boy’ because my father was a disciplinarian. If you don’t go to morning mass, you are bound to be in trouble. I did all that for 20 years, and that’s the kind of background I was coming from. But things have changed regarding the mode of worship in most churches. They spend more time than necessary. Why should we be praying for two to three hours non-stop? I have other things to do.”
He further said “Also, one of my legs was paining me, and that was why, if you were in church that day, you will notice I was sitting down throughout. People didn’t understand why I was sitting down. I couldn’t stand up for too long. ”
On why he cut short some politicians from giving long tributes, he said “We had spent about two to three hours in the church. We couldn’t afford to give all the politicians that attended the funeral rites the opportunity to pay tribute to my late father. I felt the only person who should deliver a speech was Mr. President’s representative.
At that point, I was so stressed and tired. All I wanted was to commit my father’s remains to mother earth. So, I insisted, as the eldest son of Justice Oputa on how things were going to be done. At that point, I said please, no more talk, it’s too much, let one person speak so we can go and finish the business. That was what happened but you know people will mis-interpret it. That is their business, not mine.” He quipped.
