Former President Olusegun Obasanjo stepped into Isbae U’s unusual interview world on Saturday, September 19, 2026, and quickly proved that he could give as much as he got.
The former president was the latest guest on the comedian and content creator’s Curiosity Made Me Ask, a show known for its sarcastic introductions, provocative questions and playful confrontations. But this time, Isbae U was dealing with a guest who was more than willing to turn the questions back on him.
From joking that he had paid Obasanjo’s salary and Aso Rock rent to testing the host’s knowledge of English, Obasanjo matched Isbae U’s humour throughout the conversation.
The interview also went beyond the jokes. Obasanjo spoke about meeting Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, explained why he does not know popular entertainers such as Don Jazzy, Poco Lee and Carter Efe, and revealed what changed his opinion of veteran entertainer Charly Boy.
Here are some of the biggest moments from the viral interview.
1. Isbae U introduced Obasanjo as his “employee”
Isbae U opened the interview with perhaps his boldest joke yet. Introducing Obasanjo, he claimed the former president had spent eight years working for him.
“I paid his salary. I paid for his rent in Aso Rock and I fed him from 1999 to 2007,” he said before welcoming Obasanjo with applause.
Rather than ignore the joke, Obasanjo immediately played along. He asked what kind of work he supposedly did to deserve being fed, before reminding Isbae U that the residence and resources associated with the presidency belonged to Nigeria.
The joke became a running theme throughout the interview, with Isbae U repeatedly insisting that he had “fed”, “clothed” and “housed” Obasanjo. The former president however refused to accept the claim.
2. Obasanjo questioned Isbae U’s hairstyle
The conversation quickly moved from Aso Rock to Isbae U’s appearance. Obasanjo joked that in the village where he grew up, the hairstyle worn by the comedian was associated with women.
Isbae U defended himself, insisting that he was a man and even challenged Obasanjo to prove otherwise. The exchange was one of several moments where the former president turned Isbae U’s teasing back on him.
3. The Aso Rock “quit notice” question
Isbae U later asked whether Obasanjo had cried when he received what the comedian described as a “quit notice” to leave Aso Rock after his eight years in office. Obasanjo laughed at the question and rejected the premise.
When Isbae U insisted that he had given him the notice because he had stopped paying his “rent”, Obasanjo said the claim was simply untrue. He explained that when his time was over, he left Aso Rock himself and that his departure had nothing to do with Isbae U.
The joke was another extension of the opening claim that the comedian had somehow been responsible for Obasanjo’s presidential accommodation.
4. They argued over whose platform it really was
Another recurring joke centred on Isbae U repeatedly describing the programme as his platform. Obasanjo challenged that idea.
When Isbae U said he was giving the former president a platform, Obasanjo responded that bringing him onto the show made it a shared platform.
“If you are not there alone, then you are not there alone,” he argued, later accusing Isbae U of being selfish.
Isbae U, meanwhile, maintained that he was the one doing Obasanjo the favour by giving him access to the show’s audience. Neither appeared willing to surrender the argument.
5. Obasanjo turned the tables with an English test
Isbae U eventually found himself on the receiving end of his own interview style. After the comedian called Obasanjo “great”, the former president questioned his use of the word and then challenged him to define “adjective.”
Isbae U could not respond and OBJ defined it before asking him to then define “noun” but again, the host could not. Obasanjo refused to let him have the moment and teased him about his educational background.
The exchange captured one of the interview’s recurring patterns: Isbae U would ask a provocative question, only for Obasanjo to turn it into a question for the host.
6. Isbae U called himself the first soldier he could take one-on-one
The former president’s military background also became part of the banter. Isbae U said he believed Obasanjo was the first soldier he could take “one-on-one”.
Obasanjo immediately challenged the statement. When Isbae U asked why he needed a gun, Obasanjo explained that a soldier is armed. The comedian then joked about the former president needing to be searched before entering the studio. In their words:
“Isbae U: “You were a former army general, right? I think you are the first soldier I can take one-on-one.”
OBJ: “Oh, you say you want to take me on one-on-one now?”
Isbae U: “No, no, no, no, no.”
OBJ: “Because you said that you are the first soldier I can take one-on-one. I can say you want to take me one-on-one. As a soldier, I didn’t use boxing. I’m not a boxer. But if you want to take me one-on-one, let me have my gun and you take me one-on-one.”
Isbae U: “How did you get to gun? What happen to koboko.”
OBJ: “Because you said you admit I’m a soldier. A soldier is not a koboko soldier. Any soldier wey use koboko no be soldier”
Isbae U: “You can give me frog jump. You can give me any sit-down. Why do you have to go to gun now?”
OBJ: “No, because that is what a soldier is armed with. A soldier wey no dey armed na woman soldier”
Isbae U: “Did you guys search him before coming in, just in case…”
The exchange ended with both men continuing the military-themed jokes, with Obasanjo reminding Isbae U of his background as an army general.
7. Obasanjo explained the purpose of traditional tribal marks
The interview was not entirely about comedy. When Isbae U brought up the history of tribal marks among Yoruba people, Obasanjo explained that the practice had a purpose beyond appearance.
He said tribal marks were used to help people identify members of their community, including people who had been separated from their communities through slavery. He said:
“Back in the days Yorubas were big on tribal marks. You see you dey talk like someone wey no sabi. If you’re sabi, you go know say tribal mark in those old days is used so that people can identify their own even when they are sold into slavery.”
“And you if you are a Yoruba man and you don’t have tribal mark you must be very poor.”
He added jokingly:
“It’s because you no get money to make tribal mark that’s why you no get tribal mark.”
The discussion briefly shifted from the jokes to a piece of cultural history before the two returned to their usual banter.
8. OBJ boasted about the people he knows and brought up Queen Elizabeth II
The exchange about famous names started with Obasanjo. After the content creator insisted that his show had an international audience because his videos had reached America and the UK, Obasanjo turned the argument back on him.
He pointed out that while Isbae U’s show had travelled to those countries, the host himself had not. Obasanjo then brought up Queen Elizabeth II.
“You know of Queen Elizabeth?” he asked.
When Isbae U indicated that he knew about her, Obasanjo reminded him that he had personally received the late British monarch during her visit to Nigeria.
“Did you meet Queen Elizabeth? Me, I received Queen Elizabeth here in Nigeria,” he said.
Isbae U acknowledged the point, but Obasanjo used it to continue teasing him about the difference between their worlds. The former president then said he knew people that Isbae U did not know, prompting the host to test him with names from Nigeria’s current entertainment scene.
“Do you know Poco Lee?” Isbae U asked.
“No,” Obasanjo replied.
“Do you know Carter Efe?”
Again, Obasanjo said no.
Then came Don Jazzy.
“Do you know Don Jazzy?”
“All these names you are calling now…,” Obasanjo responded, making it clear that the names were unfamiliar to him. He then suggested, jokingly, that perhaps the people Isbae U knew were not important enough for him to know, while the people he knew were important. The exchange became a playful clash between two very different generations and their ideas of who counts as a well-known personality.
9. OBJ’s King Charles and Isbae U’s King Tunde Ednut
Obasanjo did not stop with Queen Elizabeth II. Having established that he had met the late Queen, he then mentioned King Charles III.
“You know King Charles?” he asked. Isbae U said he had heard of him. Obasanjo then revealed that he knew him personally, recalling that King Charles had received him at his farm in Wales.
“I know him. He received me on his farm in Wales,” he said.
That gave Isbae U an opportunity to try to match Obasanjo’s royal connection with a name from his own world. The host brought up influencer, King Tunde Ednut, continuing the joke about the different people known by the two men.
Obasanjo’s point, however, remained the same: while Isbae U knew contemporary internet celebrities and entertainers, he had personal connections with major historical and international figures.
The exchange ended with both men joking that they were now “at par”, although Obasanjo quickly corrected the balance in his own favour.
“It’s loss for you, win for me,” he joked.
10. Obasanjo revealed what changed his mind about Charly Boy
One of the more revealing parts of the interview came when Isbae U asked about Charly Boy. Obasanjo explained that he initially had little regard for the entertainer because of his unconventional appearance and lifestyle.
But his opinion changed after a visit to Charly Boy’s home. Obasanjo said he had gone to see Charly Boy’s father, the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, without initially knowing that he was staying in his son’s house. What he saw there changed his view.
“I saw how Justice Oputa was being taken care of, and by whom? Charly Boy,” Obasanjo recalled. He said Charly Boy took care of his father until his death and later did the same for his mother. That experience, he said, made him reconsider the entertainer.
Obasanjo also recalled eventually asking Charly Boy about his unconventional public image. According to him, Charly Boy explained that the “jaga-jaga” persona was part of how he made money.
Obasanjo said the explanation made him recognise Charly Boy’s intelligence.
11. Obasanjo refused to simply accept Isbae U as his “friend”
At one point, Isbae U tried to move the relationship beyond the interview. He suggested that since they had spent so much time together, they were now friends. Obasanjo was not convinced.
When Isbae U asked who his friends were, the former president gave an answer that still left room for the comedian to decide for himself.
“If you call yourself my friend, then you are my friend,” he said.
He even offered to give Isbae U his phone number. But Isbae U immediately joked about what he would do with it, given the former president’s repeated accusations that he had been lying about paying his salary and rent.
12. The age argument ended with a salute
Near the end of the interview, Isbae U revealed that he was 30. Obasanjo reacted with disbelief before reminding the comedian of the huge age difference between them. He told the 30-year-old host that he was still a “small boy” and eventually called him a “child”.
Isbae U refused to kneel when Obasanjo jokingly asked him to greet him in the traditional manner. The comedian cited his tender knees and his skincare routine as reasons for refusing.
By the closing moments, Obasanjo said he had endured enough of the insults and appeared ready to leave. The two eventually ended on a lighter note, with Isbae U asking for a hug and Obasanjo recalling his military career, sang the popular song “I remember when I was a soldier”. They both marched to the song and the host gave a salute on OBJ’s order. The duo later shared a hug and Isbae U prostrated, thanking the former president for honouring him.
A viral interview built on unexpected chemistry
The appeal of the Obasanjo-Isbae U interview was not simply the fact that a former president appeared on a comedy interview show.
It was the chemistry between two very different personalities. Isbae U came prepared with the kind of provocative questions that have become the identity of Curiosity Made Me Ask. Obasanjo, however, refused to play the role of a conventional guest. He challenged the host, questioned his English, mocked his claims and repeatedly turned the questions back on him.
At the same time, the interview produced moments that went beyond the jokes, particularly Obasanjo’s recollections of Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III and his explanation of how Charly Boy’s care for his parents changed his perception of him.
The episode, released on September 19, 2026, quickly became a talking point online. By September 21, Isbae U had also celebrated the interview after it passed 1.6 million YouTube views within its first 24 hours, and the figure is currently above two million.
For an interview built around the idea of asking questions people might not expect, Isbae U’s conversation with Obasanjo delivered exactly that — except this time, the interviewer frequently found himself being questioned too.
