Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, entertained guests at a public symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday after exchanging humorous remarks during the event.
The playful exchange occurred at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library during the Ajibosin Platform symposium, organised as part of activities marking the Odun Omo Olowu festival.
Iyabo, a former Ogun State commissioner for health and a Peoples Democratic Party senatorial candidate for Ogun Central in the 2027 elections, was among the panellists discussing how artificial intelligence could address grassroots challenges and drive national development. 
While acknowledging dignitaries at the gathering, the former senator mentioned her father, who is also the Balogun of Owu Kingdom, as “the former President Obasanjo, who I don’t know.”
Her comment drew laughter from the audience, prompting the former president to take the microphone shortly afterwards and respond with a joke of his own.
Obasanjo, who admitted that he had limited knowledge of artificial intelligence, warned that technology could be misused when people lacked control over it.
Taking a swipe at his daughter, he said, “Iyabo doesn’t know her father. That’s abuse of AI already,” triggering another round of laughter.
Beyond the exchange, the former president criticised what he described as the uncritical adoption of economic policies recommended by foreign-trained experts, arguing that academic qualifications alone did not guarantee practical understanding of Nigeria’s challenges.
He specifically referred to his daughter’s education at an Ivy League institution, asking how she could be expected to tell him how to manage his household.
The exchange came months after the father and daughter reportedly reconciled following a public disagreement triggered by a strongly worded letter Iyabo had written to him.
In a recent interview with TVC, Iyabo dismissed suggestions that they were still at loggerheads, describing their relationship as one that had developed beyond the conventional father-daughter bond.
The former senator, who represented Ogun Central between 2011 and 2017, returned to active politics this year after a 15-year break. She joined the APC and sought its governorship ticket but later returned to the PDP after losing to Senator Solomon Adeola. The party subsequently gave her its ticket to contest the Ogun Central senatorial seat in 2027.
