Veteran entertainer and activist, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has criticised the Bariga Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos for renaming the popular Charly Boy Bus Stop after Nigerian hip-hop star Olamide Adedeji, also known as Olamide Badoo.

Kolade David, chairman of the Bariga LCDA, announced the name change on Friday, describing it as part of efforts to honour individuals who have brought pride to Bariga and elevated Nigeria’s global image.

His words: “As an administration, we took our time to reflect on people who have put our local council on the global map.

“Ajidagan Street will now be called Olamide Adedeji Badoo Street. That means that Charly Boy Bus Stop will now be changed to Badoo Bus Stop.”

But Charly Boy, also known as Area Fada and convener of the Our Mumu Don Do movement, rejected the renaming, saying it was a politically motivated act of fear and insecurity.

He wrote on X: “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!

“This is not just about a bus stop; this is about fear — fear of a boy who refused to bow, fear of a man who challenged the oppressors.

“So, what do timid people do? They change the name like e go wash away their shame.

“Bariga, Gbagada, the entire Lagos knows the truth — that the name Charly Boy Bus Stop was not given by politicians. It was named by the people — the same people ‘Fada’ fought for, walked with, and empowered.

“They may change the signboard, they may pretend not to remember, but let me remind them — ‘Area Fada’ no dey finish.

“This name, Charly Boy, is carved into the history of Nigeria, written boldly in the streets of Bariga.

“Legacy isn’t on a signboard. It is in the hearts you changed, the voices you awakened, and the fear you planted in corrupt souls.”