Nigerian entertainer and social commentator Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, is set to take the promotion of his memoir, 999, to London, Germany and Kenya as part of a wider campaign on men’s health and prostate cancer awareness.

Charly Boy disclosed this during an interaction with journalists in Lagos, where he discussed the reception of the book following its launch and outlined plans for the next phase of activities by the Charly Boy Foundation.

He said former President Olusegun Obasanjo, would be involved in the planned international engagements.

The first leg of the tour is expected to take place in London in September, followed by Germany and Kenya. Charly Boy said the locations were selected partly because of the Nigerian and wider African communities living there and the need to extend conversations about prostate health beyond Nigeria.

“We’re taking it to another level because next month in September, we’re going to go launch in London. After London, we’re doing Germany and after Germany, we’re going to do Kenya,” he said.

The international tour follows the launch of 999: The Memoir of Charly Boy, an event attended by Obasanjo and other prominent Nigerians.

Reflecting on the launch, Charly Boy described the programme as successful but said he remained his own strongest critic and believed it could have been better.

He said the event combined discussions around the memoir with music, poetry and other performances, helping to sustain the attention of guests.

Among those who participated were musician Dr Alban, poet Dike Chukwumerije and the Symphony Band, while Obasanjo drew attention for his energetic appearance at the event.

Charly Boy said the response to the memoir had been encouraging, but stressed that the book launch was only one part of a broader campaign.

“The underplay and the most important thing in this launch is about the Charly Boy Foundation,” he said.

The foundation’s work is centred on raising awareness about prostate health. Charly Boy said his personal experience with prostate cancer had influenced his decision to make men’s health a major focus of his public advocacy.

He argued that men often delay seeking medical attention because of social expectations around masculinity, fear or financial pressures.

According to him, men need to become more willing to discuss health problems and seek medical attention early rather than concealing symptoms.

He also urged women to encourage their husbands and partners to pay greater attention to their health.

Charly Boy said the foundation has received calls from men he did not previously know, some of whom have shared personal experiences about their prostate conditions with him.

He said those interactions had reinforced his decision to continue speaking publicly about the subject.

The entertainer disclosed that the idea of establishing the foundation was initially suggested by businessman Leo Stan Ekeh, founder of Zinox Technologies. According to Charly Boy, Ekeh encouraged him to channel his public influence towards addressing men’s health concerns rather than remaining frustrated about government shortcomings.

The foundation, he said, has focused particularly on people who cannot easily afford medical care, with an emphasis on encouraging regular checks and early intervention.

Charly Boy also said the foundation needed additional financial support to expand its activities. He disclosed that Samsung covered about 95 per cent of the costs associated with the foundation’s maiden event two weeks before the interview.

He said corporate organisations and individuals had shown increasing interest in supporting the cause, particularly people whose families had been affected by cancer.

Charly Boy said the foundation’s campaign would not end with the three-country tour. He is considering producing a short film about people living with prostate cancer, which he hopes to present at a future Cannes Film Festival.

He described the international engagements as an opportunity to use the visibility of 999 to draw greater attention to men’s health and the work of the foundation.

Charly Boy also spoke warmly about his relationship with Obasanjo, describing the former Nigerian leader as a supporter of the project and saying the two shared an interest in seeing Nigeria improve.

“He’s the host of it all. He’s the one hosting all of that,” Charly Boy said when asked about Obasanjo’s role in the planned tour.

He said Obasanjo’s association with the project had also helped some people better understand the public persona he had developed over several decades.

For Charly Boy, however, the central objective remains the health campaign.

He said the foundation would continue seeking support to reach more men, particularly those who might otherwise struggle to access information, screening and medical assistance.

“It’s the sponsorship from different quarters that will enable us do what I enjoy doing, like I said earlier, doing what speaks to my soul,” he said.

The planned tour will therefore combine two strands of Charly Boy’s current work: taking his personal story in 999 to audiences outside Nigeria and using the platform to promote greater awareness of prostate cancer and other men’s health concerns.