Obasanjo: How Charly Boy Changed My Perception of Him
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how veteran entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, changed his perception of him through the care he provided for his late father, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.
Obasanjo made the disclosure while speaking on Isbae U’s podcast, Curiosity Made Me Ask, aired on Saturday.
The former president said he initially had little regard for Charly Boy despite his admiration for the late Justice Oputa, whom he described as a great man.
“Well, Charly Boy is so jaga jaga that I don’t know anything about him,” Obasanjo said.
“He has a good father, Justice Oputa. Oh, what a great man. I wish Charly Boy had resembled him,” he added.
Obasanjo recalled that when he first met Charly Boy, he had “no iota of regard or respect” for the entertainer.
However, his perception began to change after he visited Justice Oputa and discovered that the retired Supreme Court justice was living in Charly Boy’s home.
According to him, his initial reaction to the residence was shaped by the unusual appearance of a heavily decorated motorcycle parked in front of the house.
“But when I went to visit Justice and it was in Charly Boy’s house. I didn’t know it was in Charly Boy’s house. So the first thing that put me off in that house, I saw a motorcycle in front of the house. The way the motorcycle was dressed and all that, I said, ‘What is this?’” he recounted.
Obasanjo said his impression changed after entering the house and seeing the level of care Charly Boy provided for his father.
“And then I went inside the house. I saw how Justice was being taken care of and by who? Charly Boy. Ah, so I started changing my mind about Charly Boy,” he said.
According to Obasanjo, Charly Boy continued to care for Justice Oputa until his death, describing his conduct as that of a devoted son.
“Until Justice Oputa died, Charly Boy took perfect care of him, looked after him and he really behaved like a good child would give to his father,” the former president said.
Obasanjo added that Charly Boy also cared for his mother, whom he described as a humorous woman he frequently visited.
“He didn’t stop there. He did the same to his mother. And I used to frequently visit the mother, who was a great humorous woman. Charly Boy took care of her. Then I started changing my mind. I changed my mind about him,” he said.
The former president further recalled confronting Charly Boy about his unconventional lifestyle and public persona.
He said the entertainer explained that the eccentric image was part of his strategy for making a living.
“Then one day I asked him, I said, ‘Look, Charly Boy, what is all this?’” Obasanjo recalled.
He said Charly Boy responded that “all those jaga jaga things that I see, is to make chop-chop.”
Obasanjo subsequently described Charly Boy as an intelligent person, arguing that maintaining such an unconventional persona as a career required considerable intelligence.
“It’s an intelligent boy, that Charly Boy, all jaga jaga, because you cannot do jaga jaga to earn a living without being intelligent,” he said.
Despite the change in his perception, Obasanjo said his affection for the entertainer remains measured.
“So now I like him a bit, not too much,” he said.
