What Obasanjo Did To My Career – Ali Baba

Ali Baba

Nigerian stand-up comedian, Alibaba, has shared a story of how he made his first N1m in the industry. Alibaba, whose real name is Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, recently marked his 30th anniversary on stage.

In a press briefing recently, the ace comedian reflected on his journey into the entertainment industry, saying he had to convince his family to embrace his craft in the early years of his career.

“Since I discovered my talent, I have worked to see that a lot more could be done with it. My growth in the last 30 years has been in phases. The first phase was when I discovered my talent in Ekpoma (in Edo State) in 1998. Between that time and 1993, I had to convince my family that comedy what was what I wanted to do.

“I figured I had to build awareness and embrace opportunities; I had to promote my talent through television stations, night clubs, universities and newspaper houses. After so much promotion, by 1998, I had built some momentum, and the commercialisation of my comedy took place.

When asked about his jokes about former President Olusegun Obasanjo and how the ex-President used to laugh over them; he noted that he had been hosting events for bigwigs in the Nigerian military before making jokes about him.

“The ex-President, Obasanjo, wasn’t just promoting me; he recognised stand-up comedy and gave it a boost. After a while, he got used to me and started recommending me for events he attended. A lot of state governors, who used to attend those presidential dinners, used to invite me to their events. For him to have the thick skin to accommodate my jokes about him made them feel comfortable with me.

“I felt comfortable performing in front of military men because I had done events for military chiefs like Sani Abacha, Ibrahim Babangida and Tunde Idiagbon. When I performed at military barracks, I could get away with some things because I knew the ropes. I studied the origin of stand-up comedy and I knew it started with the blacks. I knew how to tell jokes without offending anybody. I knew there was a thin line between being funny and being offensive,” he said.

Read Full Interview Here

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Source: Punch

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