Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has detailed why he grew to admire entertainer Charles Oputa, often known as Charlie Boy, despite being originally turned off by his odd manner of dress, which he described as “jaga-jaga.”
Obasanjo participated in an interview for the Before Tomorrow Comes Podcast, which was published on YouTube on Thursday.
He reminisced on his long-standing friendship with Charlie Boy’s family; his relationship with his father, late Supreme Court Justice Chukwudifu Oputa; and how his opinion of the singer evolved over the years.
The former military head of state provided the foreword to Charlie Boy’s memoir, 999.
“I was close to Charlie 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.
“Then I started seeing Charlie Boy, and they say Charlie 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 Charlie 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 Charlie Boy,” Obasanjo recounted.
He claimed he intentionally mocked the entertainer because he expected the son of a distinguished Supreme Court justice to have his father’s polished appearance and demeanor.
The turning point, he claimed, occurred when he went to see the late justice and discovered him at Charlie Boy’s house.
“On one occasion, I wanted to pay him a visit. And where did I find him? I found him in Charlie Boy’s house.
“Of course, going into Charlie Boy’s house, you see him jaga jaga, living in his own house, on a motorcycle, dressed like in war. But what struck me was Charlie Boy’s way of taking care of his father.
“If Charlie 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.
“So, I got drawn to Charlie Boy. And then I realized that Charlie Boy’s jaga jaga tricks, his mediated acts of being a comedian and making money out of the way he dressed, and his manner of behavior are all part of comedy and amusement. So, I got drawn to Charlie Boy,” Obasanjo said.
Obasanjo also grew close to Charlie Boy’s mother, referring to her as a “moral woman.”
He observed that Charlie Boy cared for his mother much more than he did for his father, and that when she died, he gave her a “decent goodbye that any child could give.”
Obasanjo stated that he has subsequently learned to see past the entertainer’s quirky manner and “jaga-jaga dresses,” seeing them as part of his humorous identity.
“I became close to Charlie Boy. So his jaga jaga dressing didn’t matter to me anymore. I saw it as part of making life.
“And then Charlie Boy approached me. And I realized that there are a lot of lessons to learn from Charlie Boy’s life, particularly from his parents and particularly his father.
“How did his father tolerate him when he wasn’t going the way the father wanted him to go? If he were not a lawyer but definitely a singer or a comedian, it would not be what the father would want. But he decided to choose a path for his life. He maintained it.
“And he got his father to learn to live with it. And as I said, to the extent that the later part of the father’s life, Charlie Boy became a favorite of his father. I know that.”
The former military officer, who is frequently seen interacting with the entertainer, said Charlie Boy’s connection with his father serves as a lesson for parents, pushing them to guide their children while also allowing them to follow non-criminal routes that reflect their genuine selves.
Obasanjo called the memoir “fairly well written, fairly well produced” and “a masterpiece” full of lessons about family, resilience, and philanthropy.
The public premiere of 999 is set for July 31 at the Mike Ademola French Cultural Centre in Lagos.
Obasanjo also used the interview to promote tolerance and national unity, cautioning against applying bad attributes to entire ethnic groups.
“If you say the Yorubas are bad because of probably what one Yoruba man had done, or the Fulanis are bad because of what one Fulani man had done, then who’s good?” he asked.
