The industry has also created jobs for hundreds of Nigerians apart from being a foreign exchange earner for the country. Your soar away page had a one on one with the king of comedy, on his experience and also the future of the industry in Nigeria.
Have a good reading as we talk to Atuyota Akporobomeriere aka Alibaba.
Time was 9.37am, Wednesday 10th May 2012.
Link Abuja-Lagos.
Phone rings…
CKN :Bros Good Morning
Alibaba..CKN, morning bros how bodi, I hear say una don transfer go Abuja (in reference to FRSC Lagos State Sector Commander ,Jonas Agwu transfer to Abuja…Alibaba is a member of the FRSC Celebrity Special Marshal Unit In Nigeria)..That means goat don go meat yam be that o.
CKN Nigeria..Na so we see am my broda..I wan interview you for my blog,e no go pass five minutes.
Alibaba..Fire on bro,I dey your side.
CKN Nigeria :Why are you going back to stand up comedy show,I thought you once said you have retired from such?
Alibaba:I didn’t leave stand up comedy.Thats a misconception most people had. What I said I won’t be doing is jumping on stage every time to do stand up..I won’t also be doing yearly shows like others. My shows will be once in three years.Moreso it’s not like am doing a stand up show...What happened is that Bunmi Davies, the organizer of the comedy show STAND UP Nigeria is celebrating his twelve years anniversary and invited me to be part of it. This I obliged him and I will be appearing.
Morse so ,I don’t fancy doing popular shows any longer. For example if I do popular show and get N500,000 and I do another one for Aliko Dangote and Otedola and I get paid N3m each, which do you think will be more profitable. So what I have decided is to concentrate on those corporate events and not get myself entangled in gbogbo ero (all types) of events.
Again, at this level am not to be seen at all shows, with due respect, will people be asking why they don’t see Former President Olusegun Obasanjo at all sorts of elections,NO.With his status, he will only attend important PDP Executive meetings as former BOT chairman and not all ward congress meetings..Same with Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you don’t expect him to attend all ward congresses at Amuwo Odofin,Badagry,Epe etc.But if the ACN is having a major meeting, definitely you will see Asiwaju there,that goes with our job.
CKN Nigeria: When you started this comedy, did you know it will suddenly become a big business in the future?.
Alibaba:I knew it will be big but probably not on this large scale. But the obvious signs were there and I will explain...like when I was in the University, if my dad was giving me a N100 as pocket money,I realized that if I do a stand up show at Bendel University Ekpoma (his alma mater) then, I will get paid N100,if I do same at UNIBEN ,they paid me N200 ,if I move to Unilag,they were paying me 500,same with Uniport and Unilorin.With that by the end of the month,I was already earning about N2,500 compared to the N100 my parents were giving me as pocket money, there and then I knew if I put myself into this ,it will be a success,the result is what you are seeing today..
CKN Nigeria: It’s obvious that the industry has become so saturated and an all comers affair, what are you guys doing to remedy the situation?
Alibaba: There are over 1000 social events going on in Lagos every weekend that we don’t have enough comedians to handle. The quacks will be separated from the real ones. If we have for example 100 events in Lagos on a weekend,20 are handled by high profile comedians, what happens to the rest 80..So you can see that there will always be people who will still have to patronize these other guys. Not all comedians can be mcs,not all mcs can be comedians, so it’s a mix breed.
There has been instances where certain high profile events have to be shifted because we were already engaged or booked. You will hear people say,haaaa,oga said its either you or no one else, all I tell them Sir, you may have to shift your date to accommodate us and in most cases they do.
CKN Nigeria: People have always said your price is just too high, that you will soon price yourself out of the market.
Alibaba:Its not true..A lot of comedians want to use Alibaba name as a bargaining power when negotiating their price. You ll hear them say, if you say our price of N500, 000 is high, what will you say of Alibaba that charges N5m?
Some clients also use it to massage their ego and to justify why they can’t pay, you will hear them boasting, can you imagine that Alibaba,he wants me to pay N10m for an event.So I decided to go for this other guy for less, meanwhile he has called us for one day..It’s more of an ego thing for them.
Even at that CKN,come to think of it too, this is my 20th year in the industry, haven’t I paid my dues..To become an Executive Director of a Bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria stipulated a ten years experience in Banking..If I had been in the bank, by now I for don pass Managing Director. This job comes with certain experience.
For example with dues respect, the price of a Kia motor is not the same with an S Class Benz, it’s a matter of choice. What we are bringing to the table is quality at the right price.
CKN Nigeria: What do you make of some of the comedians who have also taken to music?.
Alibaba:I have no problem with that.It goes to show their versatility ..Take for example Jimmy fox is a comedian,musician and actor making millions.Same with Bill Cosby who for years ran one of the most incredible programme on television. He was the first comedian personality to own a Boeing 747 plane, while the so called popular musicians were struggling to buy a Pontiac.
Let me also reveal something to you today,do you know that Dare Art Alade is a world class comedian even as a musician.You need to sit with him to see how richly blessed he is with that talent..Sound Sultan is another wonderful comedian, if he decides to go into comedy today, he will make it big.
Julius Agwu and Koffi have combined this talent effectively too.
CKN Nigeria: Where do you see comedy in the next five years in Nigeria?.
Alibaba: if comedy is software, we have not used twenty percent of it. How many comedians have big time radio and television shows? How many of them have regular comedy clubs,how many have written comedy books etc.The list is endless. It will continue to grow and improve in Nigeria.
CKN Nigeria: How has Comedy impacted your life?
Alibaba:Comedy by the grace of God has been kind to media have a roof over my head. I don’t pay rents,I have five children of my own, I am well recognized and appreciated wherever I go.I have impacted people’s life too in my own little ways, I have helped built an industry and I have job satisfaction as well and most importantly, my future by the grace of the almighty is guaranteed. So you can see I am fulfilled.
CKN Nigeria:I Heard your dad was against your going into comedy initially, how is the old man feeling now seeing all you have achieved?
Alibaba:You cannot blame him. our parents always wanted the best for us,that was why they want us to go into professions that will guarantee our future.You remember in those days too,no one wants his son to play football or go into acting. Some don’t even believe there is anything to make as a broadcaster,musician or if you want to read Petroleum related courses..All they wanted was accounting,law,Engineering etc.But today all that has changed. People are making it in their various callings. If you wanted to go into telecom or telephoning then,all they see you as a Nitel ,P & T worker with no future ambition..Now guys are making big bucks at MTN,Glo,Airtel,Etisalatand other Information technology related fields.To God be the glory.
CKN Nigeria:With your terrible choked, tight schedule,how do you relax?.
Alibaba:I watch movies,go to cinemas,play football,swim,play with my children. I also engage in photography, hang out with soe of my friends like Efere Ozarko etc.At my spare time because I own my time and must manage it well, I go on social networks to chat with friends on Facebook,twitter most of the time.
CKN Nigeria:Thanks bro for this impromptu interview, we truly appreciate it.
Alibaba:Always my pleasure CKN,we appreciate and applaud what you are doing on that blog. It’s a one stop shop to get all the happenings around us. I am hooked to it. Cheers.
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