Former President Olusegun Obasanjo turned the tables on comedian Adebayo “Isbae U” Abidemi after failing to recognise several Nigerian entertainers during a celebrity test.
The witty former president, who made his acting debut in Samuel Ajibola’s Nollywood comedy series Dele Issues in 2017, was in his element throughout Saturday’s episode of Curiosity Made Me Ask, trading jibes with the host and, at one point, humorously feigning sleep.
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The programme is renowned for Isbae U’s sarcastic introductions, provocative questions and the humorous clapbacks they elicit from guests. Although the format has attracted criticism on X over questions sometimes considered disrespectful, the comedian has defended its use of sarcasm, roasting, and dark humour.
Mr Obasanjo is the first former Nigerian president to appear on the programme and its most prominent guest yet. One of its recent memorable episodes featured veteran Nollywood actor Pete Edochie, whose spirited responses to Isbae U’s questions sparked widespread online discussion.
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Celebrity test
During Mr Obasanjo’s appearance, the 89-year-old was asked whether he knew the music executive Don Jazzy, the dancer Poco Lee, the streamer Carter Efe, and other Nigerian entertainment figures.
The former president said he did not recognise the names, joking that it might be because they were not “big, important people.”
“I don’t know Carter Efe, Poco Lee, Jago, Don Jazzy; all these names, I don’t know them. Maybe because they’re not big, important people. The people I know are important,” he said.
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Mr Obasanjo also teased Isbae U about the international reach of his programme despite the comedian not having visited some of the countries where it had gained an audience.
“Your show has been to America; my video has been to America. That’s what matters, but you have never been there. So you can see what a poor man you are.
“Your show has gone to America; your show has gone to the UK, and then you haven’t been to America. You have been to the UK, and you are asking me. Before you were born, I had gone to the UK,” he said.
He then turned the test on the comedian, asking whether he knew the late Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III.
“Do you know Queen Elizabeth? You read about her. I received Queen Elizabeth here in Nigeria,” he said.
The former president also recalled meeting King Charles at his farm in Wales, contrasting his acquaintances with the comedian’s.
“You know King Charles? I know him. He received me on his farm in Wales. So, we are at par. I know Charles, but you know Tunde Ednut. It’s not a win-win. It’s a loss for you,” he joked.
Charly Boy
The conversation later turned to veteran entertainer Charles “Charly Boy” Oputa, whom Mr Obasanjo said he initially disliked because of his unconventional appearance and lifestyle.
Responding to Charly Boy’s frequent description as “jaga-jaga,” the former president questioned why a gentleman would dress “like a woman” or “like a bushman.”
“Charly Boy is so jaga-jaga that I don’t know anything about him. I ran away from him because he was too jaga-jaga.
“He has a good father, Justice Oputa. What a great man. I wish Charly Boy had resembled him. That man was one of the few Nigerians I respected when he was alive,” he said.
Mr Obasanjo said that when he first met Charly Boy, he had neither regard nor respect for him. However, his perception began to change after he visited the entertainer’s father, former Supreme Court Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
“When I first came to know Charly Boy, I had no idea of regard or respect for him. But when I went to visit Justice Oputa, it was at Charly Boy’s house. I didn’t know it was Charly Boy’s house,” he said.
The former president recalled being put off by an unusually decorated motorcycle outside the house before discovering how devotedly Charly Boy cared for his father.
“The first thing that put me off in that house was that I saw a motorcycle in front of the house. The way the motorcycle was dressed and all that, I said, ‘What is this?’
“Then I went inside the house. I saw how Justice Oputa was being cared for. And by whom? Charly Boy,” he said.
READ ALSO: Choosing Atiku as running mate was my biggest political mistake – Obasanjo
Change of mind
Mr Obasanjo said observing the entertainer’s care for his father forced him to reconsider his initial opinion.
He added that Charly Boy cared for Justice Oputa until his death and subsequently extended the same devotion to his mother, Margaret Oputa, whom he described as a woman with a good sense of humour.
“So I started changing my mind about Charly Boy, and until Justice Oputa died, Charly Boy took perfect care of him, looked after him, and he really behaved like a good child. He behaved well towards his father.
“He didn’t stop there. He did the same to his mother. I used to visit his mother frequently. She was a great, humorous woman. Charly Boy took care of her as well. Then I started changing my mind. I changed my mind about him,” he said.
According to Mr Obasanjo, Charly Boy later explained that his unconventional appearance and public persona were part of his strategy for earning a living.
The explanation, he said, further changed his view of the entertainer, whom he now considers intelligent.
“One day, I asked him, ‘Charly Boy, what is all this?’ He said all those jaga-jaga things were to make money.
“He’s an intelligent boy. You cannot do jaga-jaga to earn a living without being intelligent. So now, I like him a bit, not too much,” he joked.
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