Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recalled the experience that made him reconsider his initial opinion of veteran entertainer Charles Oputa, better known as Charly Boy.
Speaking on Isbae U’s Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast, Obasanjo said he once had no respect for Charly Boy because of the entertainer’s unconventional public image.
That perception changed after an unexpected discovery during a visit to the home of Charly Boy’s father, the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
A visit changed everything
Obasanjo said he went to visit Justice Oputa but did not initially realise that he was at Charly Boy’s residence.
What he saw during the visit surprised him.
He observed that Charly Boy was deeply involved in caring for his father.
Obasanjo said the entertainer remained committed to his father’s care until the former Supreme Court Justice died.
That experience, he explained, gradually changed his view of Charly Boy.
His devotion extended to his mother
The former president also recalled his relationship with Charly Boy’s mother.
He said he visited her on several occasions and remembered her as a humorous woman.
According to Obasanjo, Charly Boy showed the same commitment to his mother that he had shown to his father.
The experience gave the former president a different perspective on the entertainer.
‘It was to make chop-chop’
Obasanjo said he eventually asked Charly Boy why he maintained such an unusual public persona.
The entertainer’s explanation was straightforward.
According to Obasanjo, Charly Boy told him that the eccentric behaviour was part of his strategy for making money.
The former president said the conversation helped him understand that there was more to the entertainer’s public image than what people saw.
Obasanjo remembers Justice Oputa
While discussing Charly Boy, Obasanjo also paid tribute to his father.
He described Justice Oputa as a great Nigerian and one of the people he held in high regard.
Obasanjo said he sometimes wished Charly Boy had been more like his father.
However, he also acknowledged the entertainer’s intelligence.
According to the former president, it takes intelligence to maintain a distinctive public persona and turn it into a source of livelihood.
