He is unarguably, the king of comedy in Nigeria...he
brought flare and class to a profession most people initially looked at as
jesters.Alibaba has made comedy a multi million industry in Nigeria and this
has been showcased across the globe with revenues running into millions being
made on a daily basis.
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.
NB:What
was to be a five minutes interview lasted 21 minutes,43 seconds..CKN