Nigerian entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, has celebrated the engagement of his daughter, Adaeze, to a woman, publicly sharing his support for the couple on social media.
Charly Boy, also known as Area Fada, posted a video from the engagement on Instagram, describing Adaeze and her partner as his “beautiful Princess and her Husband” and asking his followers to wish them well. “My beautiful Princess and her Husband. Folks, wish dem well for me,” the entertainer wrote.
Adaeze also confirmed the engagement in a separate Instagram post, sharing a photograph of herself with her partner and announcing, “WE’RE ENGAGED!”
She accompanied the announcement with the hashtag #mrsandmrs and a message expressing her excitement about their future together.
“Here’s to a lifetime of love, laughter, growth, and making beautiful memories together. I can’t wait for everything God has in store for us. Forever sounds even sweeter with you,” she wrote.
The announcement has since generated reactions online, with social media users expressing differing views about the relationship and the public celebration by Charly Boy.
The development comes against the backdrop of Nigeria’s legal restrictions on same-sex relationships. The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act, which came into effect in January 2014, prohibits same-sex marriage and civil unions and provides a maximum sentence of 14 years’ imprisonment for a person who enters into such a union.
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The law also prohibits the public display of same-sex amorous relationships and prescribes penalties for certain related activities.
The legal framework means that a same-sex marriage or civil union is not recognized as a valid marriage in Nigeria.
The law further provides penalties for people who solemnize, witness, aid or support the solemnization of a same-sex marriage or civil union.
Adaeze is Charly Boy’s first daughter and second child, according to a 2016 interview in which she described herself as the first daughter of Charles and Diane Oputa.
She said at the time that she had an older brother, Charles Oputa Jnr., and a younger sister, Dominique, as well as other siblings.
Charly Boy has remained a prominent figure in Nigerian entertainment for decades, building a public persona around music, television, activism and unconventional fashion and social commentary. In a 2020 interview, he said he had nine biological children and 16 grandchildren.
The entertainer has also frequently spoken publicly about his family and his approach to raising his children, saying in an earlier interview that his children eventually came to understand the difference between his private identity as their father and the unconventional public persona associated with the Charly Boy brand.
The latest engagement announcement places the Oputa family in the spotlight once again, with Charly Boy’s public message focusing on celebrating his daughter and asking members of the public to wish the couple well.
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