Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, sparked laughter at a public symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday after exchanging humorous remarks about their relationship during discussions on artificial intelligence and national development.
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The light-hearted exchange took place at the third edition of the Ajibosin Annual Symposium, held at the main auditorium of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library as part of activities marking the Odun Omo Olowu festival.
The event, themed “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development,” brought together political leaders, traditional rulers, academics and other stakeholders to examine how emerging technologies could address Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
Iyabo, a former Ogun State Commissioner for Health and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District in the 2027 general elections, was among the panellists invited to discuss the symposium’s theme.
The drama began when the moderator, Professor Yemi Oke, SAN, invited her to make her presentation.
Before addressing the subject, the former senator acknowledged dignitaries present, including the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola; former two-time Minister of Industry, Mrs Onikepo Akande; and her father, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, who also holds the traditional title of Balogun of Owu Kingdom.
However, Iyabo surprised the audience when she concluded her acknowledgements by referring to her father as someone “who I don’t know.”
Her remark immediately drew laughter from participants, setting the stage for another humorous exchange when the former President later took the microphone.
Obasanjo, who was invited to contribute to discussions on artificial intelligence, began by acknowledging that he did not possess extensive technical knowledge of the emerging technology.
Nevertheless, he warned that technological innovations could become instruments of abuse when individuals and countries failed to exercise adequate control over them.
“Anything that is not in your control can be abused against you,” he said.
Turning his attention to his daughter’s earlier comment, Obasanjo jokingly suggested that the alleged abuse of artificial intelligence had already begun within his family.
“And you can see it (abuse) has already started.
“Iyabo doesn’t know her father. That’s abuse of AI already,” the former President declared, drawing another round of laughter from the audience.
Beyond the exchange, Obasanjo used the occasion to question Nigeria’s dependence on economic prescriptions from international institutions and foreign-trained experts.
He criticised what he described as the tendency of African countries to accept policy recommendations without adequately considering their domestic realities and developmental priorities.
According to him, although many of the experts advising governments were academically accomplished, their qualifications did not necessarily mean that they understood the challenges of managing a country such as Nigeria.
“They are brilliant boys and girls, so they went to Ivy League universities, Oxford, Cambridge, and all that,” Obasanjo said.
He again referred to his daughter, who studied at Cornell University, while illustrating his argument about relying excessively on foreign-trained experts.
“And some of my children, including Iyabo here, went to those universities. She went to one of the Ivy League universities. But how can Iyabo now be the one who will tell me how I will run my home?” he asked.
The former President maintained that Nigeria needed to develop the capacity to determine its economic and technological priorities instead of depending entirely on external recommendations.
He also warned that artificial intelligence, despite its potential benefits, could be misused against countries that failed to develop the knowledge and infrastructure required to control its applications.
The public exchange between Obasanjo and his daughter attracted attention against the background of their previously strained relationship.
The father and daughter had experienced a public disagreement following a strongly worded letter Iyabo wrote to the former President several years ago.
However, the former senator recently dismissed suggestions that they remained estranged, explaining that their relationship had evolved into a close friendship built on mutual understanding.
Speaking during an interview with TVC, Iyabo described the bond between them as one that had moved beyond the conventional father-daughter relationship.
“I am the oldest child, I don’t even know how to describe our relationship, we are more than friends now. I will be 60 next year and he will be 90 next year. At this age I don’t need a lot of fathering, we are more like friends but friends with a deep connection,” she said.
The former senator’s appearance alongside her father also comes amid her return to active politics in Ogun State after approximately 15 years away from elective office.
Iyabo previously represented Ogun Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011, when she served on the platform of the PDP.
She also served as Ogun State Commissioner for Health before her election to the Senate.
Following her unsuccessful re-election bid in 2011, she largely stayed away from active electoral politics until her return in 2026.
Earlier in the year, she joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and indicated an interest in contesting the Ogun State governorship election.
However, she subsequently abandoned the ambition after the party adopted Senator Solomon Adeola, who represents Ogun West, as its consensus governorship candidate for the 2027 elections.
In June, Iyabo resigned from the APC and returned to the PDP, citing grievances over her treatment within the ruling party.
She was subsequently unveiled as the PDP candidate for Ogun Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Despite their earlier differences, Friday’s public exchange between Obasanjo and Iyabo reflected the relaxed relationship the former senator had recently described, as both traded jokes before an audience gathered to discuss artificial intelligence and Nigeria’s development.
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