TheCable

TheCable has observed that ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo appears to have finally reunited with Iyabo, his eldest daughter — seven years after they publicly fell out.

At a colloquium held in Ogun state on Friday, Obasanjo disclosed he had interacted with Iyabo, the first publicly known interaction between the duo since 2013.

He was speaking about being diagnosed with COVID-19, an experience that led him to contact the daughter who is an epidemiologist.

“When they came three days after, they tested me and said I am negative, that is three days after I tested positive. My daughter, Iyabo, is an epidemiologist and I called her to explain. She said maybe they tested me at the later stage of being positive,” he had said.

Around this time seven years ago, no one would have taught such exchange was going to happen again.

In December 2017, Iyabo had written a scathing letter to her father in which she ruled out further communication with him till death.

The former commissioner in Ogun state and former senator recounted Obasanjo’s failings as a father and questioned his moral right to criticise others.

Obasanjo hinted on Friday that he is now back on speaking terms with his daughter, who publicly said in December 2013 she would never communicate with him again

“This is the end of my communication with you for life. I pray Nigeria survives your continual intervention in its affairs,” she wrote.

“We, your family, have borne the brunt of your direct cruelty and also suffered the consequences of your stupidity but got none of the benefits of your successes. Of course, anyone around you knows how little respect you have for your children.”

The stinker was believed to have been triggered by a critical letter from Obasanjo to then-President Goodluck Jonathan in which he raised issues about insecurity and corruption in the country.

He was not going to ignore her nonetheless. In his response, Obasanjo had said Iyabo was induced by Jonathan’s administration to fire back at him.

According to him, “if Iyabo was childish and unwise enough to allow herself to be used, no other member of the family should allow himself or herself to be so used. Tolerance and acceptance of others must be practised in the face of any provocation, no matter how vile.”