Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed why he developed an admiration for veteran entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charly Boy, despite initially disliking his style of dressing.
Ex-President Obasanjo spoke in an interview on the Before Tomorrow Comes Podcast posted on YouTube on Thursday.
The former president reflected on his relationship with Charly Boy’s father, late Chukwudifu Oputa, whom he described as a close friend.
“I was close to Charly Boy’s father, Justice Oputa. I don’t have many friends or many people that I would say I admire, but late Justice Oputa was one Nigerian I could call a friend and one Nigerian I admired,” he said.
Obasanjo said he was surprised when he first met Charly Boy because he expected him to reflect his father’s appearance and manner.
“Then I started seeing Charly Boy, and they say Charly Boy is the son of Justice Oputa. Justice Oputa is decent, well-groomed, well-dressed, immaculate, and proud. And then I saw this man called Charly Boy, Oputa’s son.
“He was dressed jaga jaga. I said, ‘Look, how can an adult dress like this?’ So I didn’t think much of Charly Boy,” he said.
According to Obasanjo, his opinion changed after he visited Justice Oputa at Charly Boy’s house and observed how the entertainer cared for his father.
“What struck me was Charly Boy’s way of taking care of his father,” he said.
“If Charly Boy had been ten times immaculately dressed, he would not have taken care of his father better than I saw him taking care of him.”
Obasanjo said he later understood that Charly Boy’s appearance and public behaviour were part of his entertainment career.
“So, I got drawn to Charly Boy,” he added.
He said his admiration for the entertainer grew after the death of Justice Oputa and that he also became close to Charly Boy’s mother.
The former president noted that Charly Boy cared for his mother and gave her what he described as a proper burial.
Obasanjo said he had since learned to look beyond Charly Boy’s appearance and focus on his values and relationship with his parents.
He also praised Charly Boy’s memoir 999, for which he wrote the foreword.
The book is scheduled to be presented publicly in July in Lagos.
Obasanjo also used the interview to speak about tolerance and national unity, warning against judging ethnic groups based on the actions of individuals.
