Charly Boy Urges Men to Speak Up

Recently, Charly Boy, popularly known as Area Fada opened up on why he launched his eponymous foundation to a publication.

According to him, it all started when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which led him to wear diapers and affected his sexual performance. However, he attributed his recovery to his decision to speak up.

“What saved me was because I was talking everywhere, complaining to everybody.

I was lucky to meet one Nigerian there who had the same problem, I was sharing my story and challenges with him, and he goes ‘Listen o, there’s one guy here in London, but he’s always coming to Nigeria every other month, and he has decided to do something close to a Pro bono for Nigerians, because the thing is hitting Nigerian men badly.’”

Upon recovery, he continued talking a hit his experience, which led to him establishing the foundation after taking friendly advice from the founder and chairman of Zinox Computers, Leo Stan Ekeh.

“We began working with different people; hospitals in the East, in Umuahia, in Owerri, Enugu, and Abuja,” he disclosed. “We are in partnership with these organizations. Our primary duty was to raise funds, knowing that men can be slow in medically checking themselves, and I, as the Chief Campaigner for awareness against Prostate Cancer, my duty to relate with the men in such a way that they can have a test done, at least, for the first time.”

Charly Boy reiterated the importance of men speaking up about their health and mental state.

“The truth is I don’t see a lot of NGOs that are catering for men because it’s all about women and children; I mean, men are human beings too,” he said.

“The reason I went to town with my challenges was simply because I had to get that message out, I had to tell my fellow men that it’s alright not to be alright. I had to tell my fellow men to desist from not being able to be as open as I was going about my challenges, that there’s something sinister, something technically wrong with not being open, and I know most of this comes from how we men have been brainwashed over the years.

“They say, ‘a man is not supposed to cry,’ ‘whatever you have that is paining you, just chest it, don’t even tell anybody.’ And the worst of all, ‘if you’re married, don’t let your wife know, because she might use the information against you’ and all of that. But it is the worst thing a man can do to himself.”

He continued: “The truth is I don’t see a lot of NGOs that are catering for men because it’s all about women and children; I mean, men are human beings too,” he said.

His foundation, he concluded, is “not just about men’s health and wellness; it’s mostly about our mental state.”