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Nigerian singer Charly Boy has faced backlash for saying that Wole Soyinka should not be taken seriously because of "his medical condition."
The singer took to Instagram on May 27, 2024, and posted a picture of himself, alongside a caption focused on Soyinka and his health. Charly Boy highlighted Soyinka's age and asserted that his actions could be attributed to a "deteriorating brain disease."
He said, "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 disease, and as such he shouldn’t be taken too seriously."
"What we should be worried about as well-meaning Nigerians, is how come 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," he added.
His post led to backlash from some of his followers who did not agree with what he said.
A commenter said, "I hope when you get to that age, you actually handle this kind of message, because it’s definitely coming back."
Another follower pointed out what he deemed an error in Charly Boy's post, emphasising that he should not have spoken on Soyinka's mental health.
He 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"
"You will surely grow old someday, those hailing you now for insulting an elder will surely be waiting to do same to you .that's on point," said another Instagram user.