Drama as Obasanjo, Daughter Throw Banter in Public

• Iyabo Obasanjo sparked laughter at the Ajibosin Platform after a cheeky remark about her own father during her opening address
• Former President Obasanjo grabbed the microphone shortly after and fired back at his daughter in front of the audience
• The exchange happened at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library during a symposium on AI and national development

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, turned a serious policy symposium into an unexpected moment of public comedy on Friday, October 30, in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

The occasion was the Ajibosin Platform, an annual symposium held at the main auditorium of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) as part of activities marking the Odun Omo Olowu festival. The event brought together policymakers, academics, and public figures to discuss the theme: "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development."

Iyabo, a former commissioner for health and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Ogun Central Senatorial District, was among the panellists. When moderator Prof. Yemi Oke, SAN, invited her to speak, she opened by acknowledging several dignitaries in the room, among them the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; former two-time Minister of Industry, Mrs Onipeko Akande; and her father, Obasanjo, who also holds the traditional title of Balogun of Owu Kingdom.

According to Daily Trust, she closed that round of greetings by extending acknowledgement to former President Obasanjo, "who I don't know," drawing immediate laughter from the audience.

Obasanjo fires back at Iyabo

The former president did not let the moment pass. When he took the microphone to contribute to the AI discussion, he used his opening remarks to settle scores with his daughter. Obasanjo, who acknowledged that he knew little about artificial intelligence, used the subject itself as a launching pad for his retort.

"And you can see it (abuse) has already started," he told the audience, referring to his earlier point that anything beyond one's control risks being misused. "Iyabo doesn't know her father. That's abuse of AI already."

The hall erupted in laughter for the second time.

Beyond the comedy, Obasanjo also addressed substantive concerns about the Nigerian economy, warning against what he described as the uncritical adoption of economic prescriptions from young, foreign-trained technocrats.

The lighthearted exchange between the two has long been a talking point given how closely Iyabo resembles her father in appearance, making the "I don't know him" quip land with particular effect before the auditorium crowd.

See a part video from the event on YouTube here:

Obasanjo's son declares support for President Tinubu

Legit.ng earlier reported that Olujonwo Obasanjo, son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, joined the Tinubu Movement for Sustainable Governance Foundation in Abuja.

Olujonwo cited his decade-long membership of the APC and his grasp of Nigeria's reform history as reasons for the decision.

NITDA Director General Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi received Olujonwo and drew parallels between Tinubu's economic policies and his father's reforms.