Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how Charly Boy’s dedication to caring for his parents made him reconsider his initial opinion of the entertainer.
Obasanjo made the revelation while appearing on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast hosted by comedian and content creator Isbae U on Saturday.
The former president said his first impression of Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, was far from favourable, admitting that he initially had “no iota of regard or respect” for him.
He said his perception began to change after he visited the home of Charly Boy’s father, the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, without initially realising that the residence belonged to the entertainer.
“When I first came to know Charly Boy, I had no iota of regard or respect for him,” Obasanjo said. “But when I went to visit Joseph Oputa, it was in Charly Boy’s house. I didn’t know it was in Charly Boy’s house.”
According to Obasanjo, what he witnessed during the visit changed his view of Charly Boy, as he saw the level of attention the entertainer gave his father.
“I saw how Joseph Oputa was being taken care of, and by whom? Charly Boy. So, I started changing my mind about Charly Boy. Until Joseph Oputa died, Charly Boy took perfect care of him.”
Obasanjo also spoke about Charly Boy’s relationship with his mother, whom he said he visited regularly and remembered as a humorous woman.
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The former president noted that the entertainer showed the same commitment to caring for his mother as he had done for his father.
Obasanjo further recalled confronting Charly Boy about his unconventional public image, particularly his eccentric behaviour and appearance.
According to him, the entertainer explained that his unusual persona was deliberately adopted as a means of making money.
“Then one day I asked him, ‘Look, Charly Boy, what’s all this?’ He said all those jaga-jaga things that I see are to make chop-chop,” Obasanjo recalled.
The former president also expressed admiration for Justice Oputa, describing him as one of the Nigerians he respected greatly.
“He has a good father, Justice Oputa. Oh, what a great man. I wish Charlie Boy had resembled him,” he said.
Despite his earlier reservations about Charly Boy, Obasanjo acknowledged the entertainer’s intelligence, arguing that maintaining such an unconventional public persona as a means of earning a living required a level of intelligence.