Veteran entertainer and social commentator, Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, says his two daughters do not need his approval to live their lives as lesbians, stressing that his priority is their happiness and independence.
Charly Boy made the disclosure in an interview with Saturday Beats, while explaining the reaction to his recent social media posts about his daughters and his approach to parenting.
The entertainer said he initially found it difficult to accept when his younger daughter told him she was a lesbian, but he later chose to respect her decision.
According to him, his elder daughter also identifies as a lesbian, despite having children and a great-grandchild.
He said parents could advise their adult children but could not dictate how they should live their lives.
“Get it clear, I actually have two daughters who are lesbians. My youngest daughter came out first, years ago, and my eldest daughter came out more recently,” he said.
Charly Boy said his initial reaction was shaped partly by concerns about his younger daughter not having children, adding that he eventually concluded that her happiness was more important.
“I was trying to educate people that you have no control over the life of a 50-something-year-old woman. This is the same woman who gave me six grandchildren and a great-grandson. If she decides that she no longer likes men and prefers to be a lesbian, so be it. My only concern is for her to be happy,” he said.
The entertainer said his relationship with his children was built around love, independence and mutual respect.
“As long as you’re not bothering me, asking me for money or having a sense of entitlement, it’s all about love,” he added.
Charly Boy said he deliberately chose to adopt a more open approach to parenting rather than impose his views on his adult children.
“And because I love my children deeply, I adapted quickly. I didn’t want to be an old-fashioned, rigid father; I wanted to be a supportive, open father. As long as they are standing on their own two feet and not asking me for money, their life is their life. At the end of the day, it all comes down to love,” he said.
Asked whether he felt bad about his daughters’ sexuality, Charly Boy said his feelings were mixed, particularly concerning his younger daughter.
“Yes and no. Yes, because I would have wished Dominique, like the older one, had her babies before she jumped into this, but she was never married before,” he said.
The entertainer also said his parenting philosophy had evolved with changing generations, arguing that parents could no longer rely on coercion or authoritarian methods when dealing with millennials and Generation Z.
“As a parent, I’ve learnt that with millennials and Gen Zs, you don’t tell them what to do; you can only advise them and try to get them to see the logical side of what you’re putting across for them to take, leave or trash,” he said.
“The days of beating and commanding are gone and can’t come back.”
Charly Boy said his decision to speak publicly about his family was consistent with his personality and the views expressed in his book, 999.
He also spoke about his relationship with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, describing the former Nigerian leader as both a close friend and a father figure.
According to him, their relationship developed naturally rather than through any deliberate effort to cultivate a friendship.
“We didn’t intentionally set out to build this kind of friendship. It was just something that happened naturally or organically. I’m enjoying it, just like he’s enjoying it,” he said.
Charly Boy said he valued Obasanjo’s sincerity and openness, adding that the two sometimes spoke for several hours, including on issues relating to religion and personal beliefs.
He described Obasanjo as someone he could turn to for guidance whenever he was trying to resolve a personal matter.
“Sometimes, I feel like he’s my father because he talks like my father and does things like my father. Anytime I’m trying to figure something out, I call him, and he helps me sort it out. For friendship, he’s there; for fatherhood, he’s there. We talk every day,” he said.
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