Veteran entertainer and activist, Charly Boy, has explained why he helped connect former President Olusegun Obasanjo with Nigerian comedian and content creator, Isbae U, for his popular YouTube programme, Curiosity Made Me Ask.
Charly Boy, in a post on X on Monday, said he facilitated the meeting because he believed in creating opportunities for young Nigerians and encouraging older generations to engage with their ideas and platforms.
According to him, Obasanjo’s appearance on the programme demonstrated what could happen when experienced older Nigerians were willing to step into the world of younger people.
‘Sometimes, the greatest thing you fit give a young person no be money. Na opportunity. Look at wetin happen when Baba entered Bae U’s world,’ he wrote.
Charly Boy noted that Obasanjo, despite his age and experience, embraced the unconventional format of the programme and matched Isbae U’s energy.
‘A man of his age and experience sat down with a young man whose style dey completely different from wetin he is used to. Baba no just sit there looking serious. He matched the energy, played along and showed Nigerians another side of himself,’ he said.
Explaining his role in bringing the two together, Charly Boy said he had enough confidence in the young people behind the programme to introduce them to the former president.
‘And who helped make that connection happen? CharlyBoy. Fada believed in the young people behind that show enough to pull Baba into their space,’ he said.
Obasanjo’s appearance on Curiosity Made Me Ask attracted widespread attention after the former president joined in the programme’s trademark humour and banter with Isbae U.
The host jokingly introduced Obasanjo as his former employee, claiming that he had paid his salary, provided his food and paid his rent at Aso Rock between 1999 and 2007.
Obasanjo played along with the joke while also responding to questions about contemporary Nigerian pop culture, including whether he knew music producer, Don Jazzy; dancer, Poco Lee; and content creator, Carter Efe.
The former president said he did not know them, prompting further banter from the host.
Reflecting on the wider significance of the interview, Charly Boy urged older Nigerians to do more than encourage young people to succeed, saying they should also create opportunities for them.
‘To the older generation: don’t only tell young people to succeed. Give them room. Open doors. Recommend them. Trust them with opportunities,’ he wrote.
He also urged young Nigerians to prepare themselves to take advantage of opportunities when they come.
‘To the younger generation: don’t wait for somebody to hand you a future. Build something worth believing in. When opportunity comes, be ready,’ he said.
Charly Boy called for greater collaboration between generations, saying such partnerships could create opportunities for both the young and old.
‘When generations support each other, everybody gets to grow. Na so legacy suppose work,’ he wrote.