I made my first millions as a comedian, in late 90’s – Ali Baba
A renowned comedian, Ali Baba, has said that he started making his millions as a stand-up comedian in the late 90’s when the profession was still in its developing stage in the country. Ali Baba said on Monday in Lagos that comedy business started paying off when people knew little about the profession.
“When I got my first endorsement and I was paid about N82,000, someone who saw me with the cheque asked what I do for a living and when I said I am a comedian he was baffled. “The person did not even have an idea that I had got an endorsement from Guinness Nigeria Plc that was worth about N1.2 million. We don’t need to shout over this.
“The pay from show business is pronounced because some of the younger ones now flaunt their wealth unduly,’’ he said. Ali Baba added that he was now on another platform and not the regular one people used to see him on. “I still crack jokes but people won’t see me on the platform they are used to. “I will be 30 years on stage next year, so I have moved on from the platform people used to see me. I have to leave the platform for upcoming actors. “It is like a bank structure where there is a cashier attending to costumers, after 20 years you don’t expect to see that cashier still counting money behind the counter.
“When I started, it was only Nigeria Television Authority (NTA), now we have many television stations and radio stations so the platform is bigger and wider,’’ the ace comedian said. Ali Baba told NAN that he was more into mentoring budding entertainers on the business side of showbiz. “The thing I do is that I teach by example, a lot of them have watched me perform; professionalism is key and talent is important. “It is important that you develop your talent, when talent becomes a service that is when people will require it. Nobody will buy a talent if it is not for service. “I teach other comedians to be humble, focused and think ahead. I expect that others should beat my strides. “My strides are like foundation for a lot of comedians to grow with but with recent technology, the platform is now wider and accommodating,’’ he said. Ali Baba said that the current lull in the show business should be a wakeup call for entertainers to be more creative with the profession.
“As a comedian, you need a lot of information which is why we have a lull in the industry now, people don’t create jokes anymore, but are looking for people’s joke. “It is a wake up for emerging market and for comedians to improve on their act every time and read. “Once you have information you will grow, so, I teach a lot of them to seek for information which is the only way to sustain them in the profession,’’ he said. NAN reports that Ali Baba, born Atunyota Alleluya Akorobomerere is a versatile entertainer, a stand-up comedian of great repute, radio show host, motivational speaker and actor.
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#BBNAIJA: BASSEY’S EVICTION TRIGGERS TBOSSPHOBIA!
Big Brother Naija housemate, Bassey has just been evicted from the house. He is the eighth contestant to exit the show and his eviction has been followed by interesting theories as to why and how he got so unfortunate.
A large of percentage of followers on Twitter are certain TBoss is the brain behind Bassey’s eviction. How so? They say all the housemates who have gotten close to her in the past were met with doom. And Bassey should have learned this lesson before choosing her to enjoy his PayPorte Arena Game victory reward and spending other alone moments with her over the past week.
Once you get close to Tboss... You go home...
We told you!!!
You thought we were joking...
???? Bassey evicted???? Howwww???? I'm beginning to believe the foul-play gist I've been hearing about the #BBNaija organizers and TBoss 
I knew this was the END of the road for BASSEY. He got it coming......Anyone that gets close to her gets evicted #BBNAIJA
#bbnaija no Tboss fan should cme here nd say Tboss is nt a witch
She is a witch
The curse is real guys
#BBNaija I gotta say T-Boss is an expert assassin.Bassey down Let's see who's next#bbnaija
Wait, a friend just said "anybody that goes close to TBoss gets evicted. Bassey chose her to enjoy his treat with him"
Hmmm... 
LMFAO they will blame Tboss for Bassey. He slept on her bed and they bathed together. 
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Comedians from around the globe headed to Mzansi for international festival
South African comedy lovers are in for a real treat at the two-day Johannesburg International Comedy Festival (JICF) which boasts six shows by over 30 local and international comedians.
Organisers were excited to announce the line-up and dates earlier this week, after the festival had to be postponed late last year due to student protests.
Festival director, Takunda Bimha said, "After the postponement of the festival late last year due to the student protests, we are very excited to be back with our next edition of JICF."
One of the comedians who are billed to set the stage alight is Celeste Ntuli, who said that she was looking forward to networking with her international peers.
"It's a great opportunity to meet, network and connect with different people from different countries.
"I know we are all going to have a good time and I look forward to teaching the international comedians the South African kind of humour. Because you know, there are certain things that will need to be contextualised or explained like the term 'yellowbone'," she said.
The comedian added that that she was keeping up with global current affairs so that her material was fresh and relevant.
Comedians from across the globe including Africa, Russia, USA and the UK will no doubt have comedy lovers rolling with laughter.
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African comedian, Chief Obi, hits $1m endorsement deal
The Nigerian comedian and skit-master has signed a $1 million endorsement deal with Vomoz Communications.
“I have been endorsed as the first ever Vomoz Communications Brand Ambassador,” Chief Obi wrote in a post on his Instagram page.
“My people, hard work, focus and prayers always yields positive results! I can’t express how excited I am to have joined the @vomoz family,” he wrote.
“We’ve been working together for some years now and today I have been endorsed as the first ever Vomozflex Brand Ambassador! I can’t wait to start unleashing the things we have in store.”
The comedian told CNN that his first video was a “regular goofy video” posted on Keek in 2012.
After getting rave reviews on the platform, he moved to Vine and eventually to Instagram.
Comedy has become serious business in Nigeria and with the advent of social media, many talented comics have found it easy to push out their craft through their social media accounts.
While Basketmouth and Bovi continue to put Nigeria on the global comedy scene, Obi says he intends to join the fray by “taking African comedy to the next level”.
“By the grace of God I plan on taking African comedy to the next level. Like an all round entertainer. Think of like the Jamie Foxx of African comedy,” he told CNN.
Chief Obi has about 227,000 followers on his Instagram page,as at press time.
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