Top Comedians In Nigeria

Years back, nobody knew comedy would turn into a profession that can put food on a man’s table, rather, people saw it as a lazy man’s job. But today, it has been discovered that comedy not only puts smiles on people’s face, it has also transformed into money spinning profession, where talented Nigerian youths are making fortunes and living big.

Bright Okpocha a.k.a. Basket Mouth, started comedy in 1990, although it wasn’t described as stand-up comedy, it was called yabbis, while in secondary school until he was admitted into the University of Benin in 1996/1997 to study Sociology. His first stand-up comedy was a disaster because the crowd got irritated and booed him off the stage, but later that year, he came back after series of research with a brand of comedy that became acceptable in UNIBEN and that was the beginning of his career until he met Ali Baba, who brought him into limelight. He and his friend, Bayo Adekeye, promoted and packaged shows that featured Plantazion Boiz and others and it was during that period that Laff and Jamz, which came to reality on 1 November, 2000, featuring Ali Baba, Paul Play, Mandy and Baby Face, was conceptualised.

Gbenga Adeyinka 1st popularly called Comedian of the Federal Republic (CFR), suddenly emerged as a stand-up comedian and his first introduction was an appearance at a function ten years back and ever since then, he has perfected his act in the business.

Gbenga is a graduate of English Language from the University of Lagos with television programmes on AIT, Galaxy TV and Africa Magic on Dstv. He presently hosts NB Plc’s Star TV Game Show on various stations across the nation. He is the first stand-up comedian to have worked in Ghana and had the honour of anchoring the Ghana Music Award twice, while he performed at over 12 other shows in the country, where he has lots of fans. He is also the publisher of Nigeria’s first comedy magazine, Laffmattaz, described by many Nigerians as the voice of the Nigerian comedy industry. His career has seen him work in the United Kingdom, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia among others.

Atuyota Akporobomeriere popularly known as Ali Baba, started a career in comedy while schooling at Bendel State University now Edo State University, Ekpoma, in 1988. Then he was ordinarily humorous without any plans to go into comedy but it gradually became a source of income as he got paid per show and that became an eye opener for him. However, comedy was not a paying business at that time because nobody was willing to pay to be made to laugh. He started coming into the limelight after a stint with the Charly Boy Show and consequently became a known face as individuals and corporate bodies began to patronise him. Ali Baba’s big break came in 1999, when Chief Olabode George invited him to perform at a small birthday organised for President Olusegun Obasanjo and his performance impressed the President, earning him privilege in the corridors of power.

Ayo Richard Makun otherwise known as AY, is a multi-talented and multiple award winning stand-up comedian who hails from Ifon, Ondo State. He became popular through mimicking Rev. Chris Okotie in his jokes and by 2006, became the best upcoming comedian in Nigeria and has so far got various awards for all his works. He writes the Aywire column every Friday in the Sun newspapers, Jokes Apart in Gbenga Adeyinka’s monthly comedy journal, Laffmattaz and anchors the AY Show, a comedy show on various TV stations.

Julius Agwu is one of the most successful entertainers in Nigeria today. His talent has given him opportunity to meet notable people across the globe. He has a diploma in Theatre Arts with specialisation in Acting from the University of Port Harcourt as well as a degree in Directing from the same institution. He combines success in the movie industry, music and comedy and has not been surpassed by any other person till date. He founded a genre of music known as Music Comedy, being the first comedian to release a comedy album, earning him different award nominations.

Tunde Adewale a.k.a. Tee A is one of Nigeria’s topmost stand-up comedians and masters of ceremony, charting a new course in comedy entertainment different from most of his colleagues’. Tee A’s humour is characterised by well informed and philosophical presentation laced with valuable lessons of life. He is strictly motivated by the desire to break new grounds as he is the first Nigerian comedian to be invited to the California Comedy Conference in Palm Springs, California, in 2001 and 2003.

Teju Oyelakin otherwise known as Teju Babyface has a degree in Insurance from the University of Lagos. He dumped his degree for the rib cracking business and it has paid off well. He started his career way back in the university and was well groomed by Ali Baba and Tee A, among others. His hard work and persistence have earned him a popular show on TV called The Teju Baby Face Show, aired on various television stations across the country.

—Abimbola Obatayo

Top Comedians In Nigeria
Years back, nobody knew comedy would turn into a profession that can put food on a man’s table, rather, people saw it as a lazy man’s job. But today, it has been discovered that comedy not only puts smiles on people’s face, it has also transformed into money spinning profession, where talented Nigerian youths are making fortunes and living big.
Bright Okpocha a.k.a. Basket Mouth, started comedy in 1990, although it wasn’t described as stand-up comedy, it was called yabbis, while in secondary school until he was admitted into the University of Benin in 1996/1997 to study Sociology. His first stand-up comedy was a disaster because the crowd got irritated and booed him off the stage, but later that year, he came back after series of research with a brand of comedy that became acceptable in UNIBEN and that was the beginning of his career until he met Ali Baba, who brought him into limelight. He and his friend, Bayo Adekeye, promoted and packaged shows that featured Plantazion Boiz and others and it was during that period that Laff and Jamz, which came to reality on 1 November, 2000, featuring Ali Baba, Paul Play, Mandy and Baby Face, was conceptualised.
Gbenga Adeyinka 1st popularly called Comedian of the Federal Republic (CFR), suddenly emerged as a stand-up comedian and his first introduction was an appearance at a function ten years back and ever since then, he has perfected his act in the business.
Gbenga is a graduate of English Language from the University of Lagos with television programmes on AIT, Galaxy TV and Africa Magic on Dstv. He presently hosts NB Plc’s Star TV Game Show on various stations across the nation. He is the first stand-up comedian to have worked in Ghana and had the honour of anchoring the Ghana Music Award twice, while he performed at over 12 other shows in the country, where he has lots of fans. He is also the publisher of Nigeria’s first comedy magazine, Laffmattaz, described by many Nigerians as the voice of the Nigerian comedy industry. His career has seen him work in the United Kingdom, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia among others.
Atuyota Akporobomeriere popularly known as Ali Baba, started a career in comedy while schooling at Bendel State University now Edo State University, Ekpoma, in 1988. Then he was ordinarily humorous without any plans to go into comedy but it gradually became a source of income as he got paid per show and that became an eye opener for him. However, comedy was not a paying business at that time because nobody was willing to pay to be made to laugh. He started coming into the limelight after a stint with the Charly Boy Show and consequently became a known face as individuals and corporate bodies began to patronise him. Ali Baba’s big break came in 1999, when Chief Olabode George invited him to perform at a small birthday organised for President Olusegun Obasanjo and his performance impressed the President, earning him privilege in the corridors of power.
Ayo Richard Makun otherwise known as AY, is a multi-talented and multiple award winning stand-up comedian who hails from Ifon, Ondo State. He became popular through mimicking Rev. Chris Okotie in his jokes and by 2006, became the best upcoming comedian in Nigeria and has so far got various awards for all his works. He writes the Aywire column every Friday in the Sun newspapers, Jokes Apart in Gbenga Adeyinka’s monthly comedy journal, Laffmattaz and anchors the AY Show, a comedy show on various TV stations.
Julius Agwu is one of the most successful entertainers in Nigeria today. His talent has given him opportunity to meet notable people across the globe. He has a diploma in Theatre Arts with specialisation in Acting from the University of Port Harcourt as well as a degree in Directing from the same institution. He combines success in the movie industry, music and comedy and has not been surpassed by any other person till date. He founded a genre of music known as Music Comedy, being the first comedian to release a comedy album, earning him different award nominations.
Tunde Adewale a.k.a. Tee A is one of Nigeria’s topmost stand-up comedians and masters of ceremony, charting a new course in comedy entertainment different from most of his colleagues’. Tee A’s humour is characterised by well informed and philosophical presentation laced with valuable lessons of life. He is strictly motivated by the desire to break new grounds as he is the first Nigerian comedian to be invited to the California Comedy Conference in Palm Springs, California, in 2001 and 2003.
Teju Oyelakin otherwise known as Teju Babyface has a degree in Insurance from the University of Lagos. He dumped his degree for the rib cracking business and it has paid off well. He started his career way back in the university and was well groomed by Ali Baba and Tee A, among others. His hard work and persistence have earned him a popular show on TV called The Teju Baby Face Show, aired on various television stations across the country.
—Abimbola Obatayo