Former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his daughter, Senator Iyabo Obasanjo, exchanged humorous remarks during a public symposium in Abeokuta, Ogun State, triggering laughter among participants.

The exchange took place on Friday evening at the main auditorium of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), which hosted the Ajibosin Platform symposium as part of activities marking the Odun Omo Olowu festival.

Iyabo, a former Ogun State Commissioner for Health and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate for the Ogun Central Senatorial District, was among the panellists at the event, where discussions focused on the theme, “Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Solve Grassroots Problems and Accelerate National Development.”

When the moderator, Professor Yemi Oke, invited her to contribute to the discussion, Iyabo began by acknowledging some of the dignitaries present, including the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, and former Minister of Industry, Mrs Onipeko Akande.

She also acknowledged her father, Obasanjo, who holds the traditional title of Balogun of Owu Kingdom, but ended her greetings with a humorous remark, referring to him as someone “who I don’t know.”

Her comment immediately drew laughter from the audience.

Obasanjo later took the microphone to contribute to the discussion and admitted that he had limited knowledge of artificial intelligence.

He, however, warned that anything beyond an individual’s control could be abused, using the opportunity to respond humorously to his daughter’s earlier remark.

“Anything that is not in your control can be abused against you,” he said.

Turning his attention to Iyabo, he added: “And you can see it has already started. Iyabo doesn’t know her father. That’s abuse of AI already.”

His response generated another round of laughter among participants.

Beyond the humorous exchange, the former President also spoke about Nigeria’s economic challenges, expressing concerns over what he described as the uncritical adoption of economic recommendations from young, foreign-trained experts.

He questioned the reliance on economic prescriptions from individuals educated in prestigious foreign institutions, including Ivy League universities, Oxford and Cambridge.

Making another playful reference to his daughter, who attended an Ivy League institution, Obasanjo questioned how she could now tell him how to manage his household.

The exchange came amid renewed public attention to the relationship between the former President and Iyabo following their previous disagreement, which became public after she wrote a strongly worded letter to her father.

However, Iyabo recently dismissed suggestions that they were still estranged, describing their relationship as one that had evolved into a close friendship built on a deep personal connection.

The former senator also disclosed that she would turn 60 next year, while her father would clock 90.

Iyabo represented Ogun Central in the Senate between 2011 and 2017 and has since returned to active politics. She is currently the PDP candidate for the Ogun Central Senatorial District ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The symposium brought together political leaders, academics and other stakeholders to examine how artificial intelligence could be deployed to address grassroots challenges and support national development.