- Nigerian comedian Alibaba has shared an unexpected moment that marked the beginning of his comedy career.
- Alibaba revealed in an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise that his entertainment venture in the late 1980s was unplanned and occurred during his time at Ambrose Alli University.
Veteran Nigerian comedian Alibaba has opened up about the surprising moment that launched his career in comedy.
In a recent interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise, the entertainer revealed that his entry into the comedy world was completely unplanned and took place during his time at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, in the late 1980s.
He recalled that the turning point occurred during a Congo music striptease performance on campus. The event took an unexpected turn when the performer abruptly left the stage, throwing the excited crowd into confusion.
In an effort to calm the situation, Alibaba was asked to address the audience. Seizing the moment, he began emceeing the event and added humor to ease the tension. To his surprise, his jokes instantly connected with the crowd.
“It was a defining moment,” he said. “The connection with the audience was instant. I just knew this was what I was meant to do.”
That impromptu performance became the spark that ignited Alibaba’s journey into what would become a legendary career in Nigerian stand-up comedy.
Alibaba said, “Some lady from, and bear in mind that between 1986 and 1987, there was a new lease of life for Congo music in Nigeria. People embraced Congo music, and so they brought all their dancers as well. And so those dancers were all coming to, they were infiltrating, in fact, they even went into the churches.
“Now, one of those striptease ladies came to our school in Ekpoma, and when she was, in fact, this hall was full, and when it was time for her to then undress totally, she ran off the stage because, you know, some local people like us had not seen anybody like that in nude form. And so some of them ran on stage, and so the girl was afraid and ran off.
“And they said they needed somebody to come just pacify the people and get them to calm down so the show can continue. And somebody came to me, so Pesio Koje came and said, Ali, can you help us just pacify the audience and let them get back? And so that was how I started emceeing and cracking jokes. So to pacify the people, I had to start doing jokes, yapping everyone.
“But you see, that day was the turning point. I needed to say that that was the turning point because as soon as I got on stage, I was home. I felt at home. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I started entertaining.”
