Nollywood actor and comedian Charles Inojie has candidly discussed the challenges he encountered while growing up, particularly the profound impact of his parents’ divorce during his early years.
In a conversation with Chude Jideonwo, the actor revealed that his mother left him when he was just eight months old, entrusting his upbringing to his grandmother.
Later on, after his father remarried, the new woman in his life took precedence, and Charles’s father decided to prioritize their marriage over his son’s well-being.
Charles Inojie explained that he only lived with his father for eight months before they separated due to the difficulties presented by his stepmother.
He went on to reveal that his stepmother influenced his father not to support his university education until her own child was ready for college, even though Charles had gained admission at the age of 20.
When he eventually reunited with his mother years later, their relationship remained emotionally distant due to the lingering emotional strain.
He recounted, “When I wanted to go to the University, I went back to the house to inform my father that I had gained admission. The woman began to laugh, turned to my Dad, and told him, ‘If this one has to go to the University, he will have to wait for my own child to grow so they can go together.’ That was a child I am older than by 18 to 20 years.”
Regarding a reunion with his father, he mentioned, “I met him, and we sat in silence for nearly thirty minutes. No one spoke. I was crying, and he was crying. I told him I had to leave but that I had completed school. My first job, they said Papa must pray for his child. I bought a drink and placed ₦5,000 in an envelope and asked him to pray for me. He refused to touch it, saying his conscience wouldn’t allow him to, having not contributed a dime.”