| Beyond the Laughter |
 By ADESHINA OYETAYO
Less than four years ago, Oluwaseyitan Lawrence was a pay phone operator at Orile, a suburb of Lagos. Being from a polygamous home -- his father has six wives while he is the eighth of nine children by his mother -- young Oluwaseyitan is left with no choice but to virtually fend for himself. Jobs were (still are) scarce for graduates, how much less a school certificate holder? Thus, he devoted his all to his pay phone business hoping for a breakthrough so that he could go to a higher institution.
Despite his insolvency, this young man could conjure a joke from every situation. As fate would have it, he met a friend who was also on the periphery of the comedy industry and together they toured churches where they were offered pittances for their comic acts. Lawrence’s first pay was N600. That was in December 2005. By September 2006, the young man entered for the AY Open Mic comedy competition, organised by Ayo Makun, the comedian popularly called AY. He won and ever since his life has changed. So has his name. Today, he is called Seyi Law. Whenever he turns out at an event, you cannot miss his well-cut, elegant suits. Seyi Law is now an upwardly mobile dude with virtually all the good things of life at his beck and call.
Before Seyi Law, there was Francis Agoda or I GO DYE as he is more commonly known. Back in the old days, the Benin, Edo State-born comedian had a long neck, which he said was a carry-over of his poor background. Ironically, I-Go-Dye’s neck, which was the butt of his many jokes, is gradually sinking into his body, which he says is a function of his new-found prosperity. Despite not having a university degree, I GO DYE has toured the world propagating his brand of comedy and making money that would make his financial minders consider a career detour. With choice property in his native Edo State and a fleet of luxury cars to boot, there is no doubting I GO DYE’s financial security. That is why his comedy engagement is never complete until he tells the audience about his early beginnings and how comedy has made him good.
Like I GO DYE, Julius Agwu’s is a rags-to-riches story. Born into a poverty-stricken family in Choba, then an obscure village in Rivers State, his late dad was a mason who was forced by economic exigencies to combine masonry with hunting and farming. His mother was a petty trader who sold pap which Agwu alongside his siblings had to hawk before going to school. The close-knit family knew poverty in its starkest essence. With a second class upper degree in theater arts from the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, a distinct artistic flair encompassing dancing, comedy, acting and singing and almost a lifetime of art-related activities, Agwu turned to comedy. Today, he is a substantive landlord in Lekki, a highbrow area in Lagos, where fame and fortune appear to have also taken permanent residence with him.
In the last 10 years, the Nigerian entertainment industry has been on an upward swing, taking homegrown entertainers beyond the limits of their vision, helping them achieve many fantasies while creating veritable employment for others. The comedy sub-sector has not been left out of the growth. Though comedy in Nigeria, especially the type espoused by the late Mohammed Danjuma, Moses Olaiya (Baba Sala), Sunday Omobolanle (Aluwe) and John Chukwu among others, was not seen as a money-spinner, the emergence of Atunyota Akporobome, otherwise known as Ali Baba, on the scene in the early 90s changed the perception. Fresh from the University of Benin where he read religious studies, the idealistic young man had his eyes set at the top. And he aimed for it. At that time, prospective clients could not reconcile having to pay so much to get a good laugh but Ali Baba was persistent and steadfast, holding firm to the assertion that God himself likes a good joke. He would not be compromised into doing comedy for free or for peanuts. The Agbara Otor, Delta State native saw comedy as a profession, not a hobby. He wore "sharp" suits, drove good cars and lived among the affluent, all in a bid to give comedians a face and a voice.
Following Ali Baba’s leading, the likes of Basorge Tariah Jnr, Okey Bakassi, Agwu, Tee A, Gbenga Adeyinka and Basketmouth helped to shore up the rating of comedians with performance fees oscillating between N150,000 and N300,000 on a lucky day. Now, they charge between N500,000 and N1million for, sometimes, less than an hour performance. Money also poured forth from stand-up comedy shows pioneered by Tee A, linguistics graduate of the University of Lagos, with his now rested Live ‘n’ Naked show, which was always sold out. Multi-national companies scrambled to be part of such shows to the delight of the comedians. In the last two years, the likes of Tee A, Basketmouth, I GO DYE, AY and Agwu have taken their shows to other parts of the world. All these have combined to change the misconceptions about comedians as also-rans. For many multi-national companies, comedians are now veritable brand ambassadors. Basketmouth, who holds only a diploma in sociology from the University of Benin, got N15 million as the face of Malta Guinness about three years ago. His brand ambassadorship deal with Globacom, a telecommunications company, has helped to clear any misgivings about the dreadlocks-wearing comedian’s financial solidity.
Now known as the king of comedy in Nigeria for his pioneering efforts, Ali Baba says what gives him the most joy is that he has been able to place comedy on an enviable pedestal in the entertainment industry while giving many youths an alternative choice of career. But he has also inadvertently created an industry with no rules of engagement, save for a wannabe’s talent and conversational skills. Perhaps that is why there is an upsurge in the number of hitherto unemployed youths who now see comedy as a vehicle to the good life. Over the years, there have been series of complaints about comedians not turning up at events they had been paid for or, in other cases, an established comedian asking a less known comedian to appear in his stand at an event he collected money to perform. There are also instances of younger comedians abusing their immunity by expressly abusing members of the audience, among other sharp practices. All has not escaped Ali Baba and other A-list comedians. Thus, an association called Comedians of the Federal Republic, CFR, has been formed with the mandate to lay down rules and set standards for the practice of comedy. “Essentially, the association would have patrons, associate fellows and senior fellows who would help to ensure that younger comedians are tutored and groomed and are able to tell the right kind of jokes at all times,” he says.
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