Drama as Obasanjo, Daughter Trade Banter at Public Forum

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, turned a public symposium into a comedy show at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday evening. The event, part of the Ajibosin Platform, aimed to discuss "Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development."

Iyabo, a former health commissioner and PDP candidate for the Ogun Central Senatorial District election, was one of the panelists. When asked to share her thoughts on the theme, she acknowledged her father, who jokingly responded, "I don't know." This remark elicited laughter from the audience.

Obasanjo, who admitted to his limited knowledge of AI, warned that anything beyond one's control can be abused. He said, "Anything that is not in your control can be abused against you. And you can see it (abuse) has already started. Iyabo doesn't know her father. That's abuse of AI already."

The audience laughed at the remark. Obasanjo then spoke about the challenges facing Nigeria's economy, criticizing the blind adoption of economic prescriptions from young, foreign-trained experts. He questioned how his daughter, Iyabo, could tell him how to run his home, given her own experiences in Ivy League universities.

It is reported that Obasanjo and Iyabo had publicly fallen out following a scathing letter from Iyabo to her father. However, Iyabo recently dismissed speculation of a rift, describing their relationship as a deep bond that has transcended the traditional father-daughter connection. Iyabo rejoined politics in her home state after a 15-year hiatus, running for the governorship seat on the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket before switching to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where she was nominated for the Ogun Central Senatorial District election.