“Maybe They No Be Important People”: Obasanjo’s Cheeky Reason for Not Knowing Nigerian Celebs

From Comedy Skits to a Former President’s Chair: Isbae U’s Biggest Guest Yet

“I Get Rank, I’m a General”: Obasanjo Sits Across From Isbae U’s Curiosity Made Me Ask

There was a time when Isbae U’s biggest weapon was simply asking the question other people were afraid to ask.

Now, the man behind Curiosity Made Me Ask is sitting across from a former President of Nigeria. Olusegun Obasanjo appeared on the programme on September 19, 2026, producing one of the most unexpected pairings yet for a show built around humour, sarcasm and deliberately uncomfortable questions.

And the significance of the moment is not only that Obasanjo accepted the invitation. It is also about how far the platform has travelled.

From entertainers to statesmen

The recent run of the show shows a steady expansion in the range of people willing to sit with Isbae U. The programme featured Pete Edochie on September 5 and Femi Branch on September 12 before the Obasanjo episode on September 19.

Pete Edochie’s appearance was itself significant because the veteran actor discussed his long acting career and his claim that he began acting before Nollywood existed.

But Obasanjo represented another level of access. The former president is not simply a celebrity. He is a former military head of state and former elected president, and his appearance placed the format of a digital comedy interview alongside one of Nigeria’s most recognisable political figures.

Isbae U did not suddenly become serious because his guest was Obasanjo. He remained Isbae U.

He joked that Obasanjo had once “worked for” him from 1999 to 2007 and even claimed to have fed and housed him at Aso Rock.

Then came the exchange over Obasanjo’s military rank. When Isbae U challenged him, Obasanjo responded with the simple line: “I get rank. I’m a general.”

The host pushed further, asking the former president whether he cried “hot tears” when he was asked to leave Aso Rock after eight years.

ADVERTISEMENT

It was exactly the kind of irreverent question that has become part of the programme’s identity.

‘Maybe They No Be Important People’

One of the cheekier moments came when Isbae U tested Obasanjo’s knowledge of some of Nigeria’s popular entertainment stars.

The former president appeared unfamiliar with several names put to him by the host. Rather than pretend otherwise, Obasanjo offered a characteristically blunt explanation:

“Maybe they no be important people.”

The remark immediately turned the exchange into another comic moment, particularly because some of the names are well known to younger Nigerians.It also captured one of the defining contrasts of the interview.

Isbae U’s world is built around internet culture, entertainment and the personalities dominating contemporary social media, while Obasanjo comes from a generation and political tradition that operates far removed from that digital celebrity ecosystem.

‘Fiction Is Not Reality’

The conversation was not all jokes.Obasanjo also reflected on his changing perception of Charly Boy, explaining that seeing the entertainer care for his father, the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa, affected the way he viewed him.

The former president’s broader point was that public personas can differ sharply from private realities.

As Obasanjo put it, “Fiction is not reality.”

That line fits the larger character of the interview. Behind the jokes about politics, celebrities, Aso Rock and military rank was a conversation about how people are perceived, how public figures construct their identities and how those identities can change with time.

Why the Moment Matters

These lighter exchanges are important to the story because they show why the Obasanjo appearance works beyond the novelty of having a former president on a YouTube programme.

Isbae U did not completely change his style to accommodate a former head of state. He remained curious, irreverent and willing to ask questions that a more conventional interviewer might approach differently.

That consistency is part of the journey of Curiosity Made Me Ask.

The significance is not simply that Obasanjo appeared on the show. It is that a format that grew around internet humour and celebrity culture has reached a point where a former Nigerian president can sit in the same chair as actors, musicians and other personalities and still play by the programme’s conversational rules.

The Obasanjo factor

The interview also showed something else about the format. Isbae U does not completely abandon his usual personality when the guest becomes more powerful.

That consistency may be part of what has helped the show develop its identity. The podcast listing shows a continuing weekly run of episodes, with guests ranging from entertainers to actors and public figures.

The growth has not happened overnight. It has come through repetition, a recognisable format and the willingness to keep inviting people who can generate conversation.

That matters in digital media, where a creator can easily become trapped in the same audience and the same circle of guests.

Isbae U appears to have kept pushing the boundary of who can sit in the chair opposite him. The progression from entertainment personalities such as Pete Edochie to a former Nigerian president therefore tells a larger story about the growth of Nigeria’s creator economy.

A platform that begins with jokes can eventually become a place where public figures want to be seen. And perhaps that is the more interesting story behind Obasanjo’s appearance.

The former president may have been the guest, but the invitation itself says something about the host. Isbae U has spent years building a format around curiosity, persistence and a willingness to ask questions in his own voice.

Now, that curiosity has taken him from interviewing celebrities to sitting across the table from a former Nigerian president.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the Obasanjo episode is not simply another celebrity appearance. It marks another visible stage in the growth of a Nigerian digital platform that has steadily expanded the calibre and range of people willing to enter its world. ValidViewNetwork reports.