Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he wished Nigerian entertainer Charles Oputa, popularly known as Charlie Boy, had resembled his late father, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, whom he described as a great man.
Obasanjo disclosed this during an interview with media personality, Bae U, published on Saturday, while recalling his initial perception of Charlie Boy and how his attitude towards the entertainer later changed after seeing how he cared for his father.
The former President was asked why he frequently referred to Charlie Boy as “Jaga Jaga”, to which he initially described the entertainer as someone he knew little about.
“Well, Charlie Boy is so jaga jaga that I don’t know anything about him,” Obasanjo said.
Explaining his perception of Charlie Boy, Obasanjo praised his late father, Justice Oputa, whom he said was one of the Nigerians he respected while he was alive.
“He has a good father, Justice Oputa. Oh, what a great man. I wish Charlie Boy had resembled him,” he said.
Obasanjo, however, said his opinion of Charlie Boy changed after he visited Justice Oputa and discovered that the late jurist was being cared for by his son.
“When I first came to know Charlie Boy, I had no iota of regard or respect for him.
“But when I went to visit Justice and it was in Charlie Boy’s house. I didn’t know it was in Charlie 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?’
“And then I went inside the house. I saw how Justice was being taken care of and by who? Charlie Boy.
“Ah, so I started changing my mind about Charlie Boy and until Justice Oputa died, Charlie Boy took perfect care of him, looked after him and he really behaved like a good child would give to his father.”
Obasanjo added that Charlie Boy also cared for his mother, whom he described as a humorous woman.
“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.
“Charlie Boy took care of her. Then I started changing my mind. I changed my mind about him,” he said.
The former President further said Charlie Boy later explained that his unconventional public persona was part of his way of making a living.
According to Obasanjo, this also contributed to his changed perception of the entertainer, whom he described as intelligent.
“Then one day I asked him, I said, ‘Look, Charlie Boy, what is all this?’
“You said that Jaga Jaga, all those Jaga Jaga things that I see, is to make chop-chop and it’s an intelligent boy, that Charlie Boy, all Jaga Jaga, because you cannot do Jaga Jaga to earn a living without being intelligent,” he said.
Obasanjo said he consequently came to like Charlie Boy, although he added that it was “not too much.”
“So now I like him a bit, not too much,” he said.
(Punch)
