When I look at the growth of entertainment in Nigeria, I
very often come to the sad realization that some of my colleagues DONT GET IT,
CANT GET IT & WONT GET IT. I say this with the backing of what I have
observed in the over 25 years that I have been in this industry. Though it's
not the years you have been in the industry that counts. It's the years that
you have made to count in the industry.
When I started performing as a stand up comedian in
1988, I did not know anything about the business of showbizness, I just wanted
to perform and get paid. I was pleased with fame and the little allowances I
got. I saw indications of prosperity and I decided to prove my dad wrong about
choosing to be a stand up comedian (he wanted me to read law) and there were no
precedent. It was a green field. It was a tough task, but thanks to the likes
of Mohammed Danjuma, Yibo Koko, ALLAM Bloo, Tee-A... And many others, the rest
is history.
Stand Up was new. The appreciation of it as an art form
was either low or non existent. It was not even a sector of entertainment. The
real sectors had stage actors, television actors, dancers, choreographers,
singers, producers, slapstick comics, clowns, storytellers, radio/TV
broadcasters... Etc. I tried to blend into the existing structures to find
form, purpose and a launch pad. I even started appearing on radio and
television shows to gain relevance.
