Comedians' Bio

ALIBABA (Nigerian Comedian)

Ali Baba, christened Atunyota Alleluya Akporobomerere was born in Warri, Delta State, on June 24th 1965 to the Royal family of Agbarha Otor, Ughelli North Local Government Area.

His father is a retired soldier who served in Lagos. Schooling therefore was at Ojo Primary School and Command Secondary School.

He furthered his education at Ibru College and then went on to the now rested Bendel State University now known as the Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma where he read Religious Studies & Philosophy.

After acquiring a degree from the then Bendel State University, Ekpoma in 1990, he relocated to Lagos, having discovered his comic talent and funny bone in his 3rd year in university. He had planned to return to Ekpoma to read Law but that was not to be, since he discovered he could make more money from making people laugh than defending them!

He began his professional career with corporate events, appearing on television shows with the likes of Patrick Doyle, Charly Boy and Danladi Bako. He also made cameo appearances on radio shows with Bisi Olatilo, Soni Irabor and Mani Onumonmu.

At the time there was hardly any precedent to follow in this chosen career of his because the funny men then were not into stand up comedy. Patrick Doyle, John Chukwu, Bisi Olatilo, Femi Segun, Femi Jarret, Leo Onmudi, Smart Otemu and many more were funny, very funny but did not do full time comedy.

Through guts, sacrifice and creative dynamism, Ali Baba carved a niche for himself as a comedian for both corporate and non-corporate events. In less than 4 years, he had also become the preferred master of ceremony at some events. Ali Baba made the rules, broke them and sometimes even discarded them depending on how effective they were. These days no event is considered complete without a comedian to MC that event.

Ali Baba, called the God Father of Nigerian Comedy has lived up to this billing, always delivering for as many times as he is called upon to do so. He has lived with the philosophy that this business is big enough for all who want to make their chosen profession. As such, he has supported, mentored and presented several comedians helping to ensure that standards are maintained and professionalism encouraged.

It is no longer strange to hear a comedian charge impressive fees for events. The industry, yes, the Comedy Industry though yet to be standardized, is growing fast and strong to the credit of the God Father of Comedy.

He has been a professional stand up comedian for the past 20 years and has in the last 10 years received several awards.

He was inducted into the Johnny Walker 'Striding Man' Society in 2009 which recognises men who have achieved great strides in their chosen fields of endeavour and who share the 'strides' they have taken to motivate and encourage others.

He is also a Special Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps.

Ali Baba GCFR, is married to the beautiful Mary and is blessed with three daughters, Zara, Brandi and Valerie and a set of twin boys Ejiro and Tejiri.

In his spare time he enjoys reading, writing, painting and photography. 

JULIUS AGWU (Nigerian Comedian)

Julius Agwu happens to be one of the most successful entertainers in Nigeria today. His talents have afforded him the opportunity to stand before the kings and princes of this world. He hails from Choba in Obio /Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He was born on April 7th, 1973 to Chief Augustine Amadi Agwu and Mrs. Mary Agwu. He is the fifth child of his father's six children. Julius attended Elementary State School in Choba and later UBE still at Choba. His secondary school education was at Government Secondary School in Borokini, Port-Harcourt and later on Akpor Grammar School in Ozoba where he was the social prefect and President of the Dramatic, Debating and Cultural Society.
He later studied Theater Arts at the Diploma level from the University of Port-Harcourt with specialization in acting and followed suit with a degree programme (BA) in directing still at the University of Port-Harcourt. He was the best student in the graduating class of the year in 1997.
His combined success in the movie industry, music and comedy in Nigeria has not been surpassed by any other person till date. He founded a genre of music in Nigeria known as musicomedy being the first comedian to release a comedy album in the country and it earned him different awards nominations.
He has also taken comedy shows to different parts of the world like Atlanta, Maryland, London, among others.

BASKETMOUTH

Full Name: Bright Okpocha

Stage Name: BasketMouth

Place of Birth: Uzor Street in Ajegunle Lagos, Native of Abia State.

Date of Birth: September 14th, 1978

Marriage Status: Married to Elsie Uzoma

Children: 2

Education: B.Sc in Sociology and Anthropology from University of Benin

Languages: English

Occupation: Comedian, Musical Artiste, Instrumentalist

Achievements:
In 1991 Bright discovered his skills in drumming, which he did for over 5 years after wards. During his days of being an instrumentalist for his church and a band at that point, he also discovered his skills in rap music and later diverted into that path in 1994. In 1995, he, his friends and brother formed a group called da psychopaths. It had 7 members but they split before they could even release an album or single.

Bright and his brother Godwin immediately formed a group called d oddz and later added a third member (muyiwa osunrobi). Together, they did a couple of shows but couldn’t break through the music industry as their brand of rap wasn’t accepted then.

His 1st standup comedy was a disaster because the crowd got irritated and booed him off the stage. Later that year (1999), he came back after a series of research on what brand of comedy could sell in UNIBEN; that was the beginning of Basket mouth’s inception and acceptation into the world of standup comedy. His professional stand up act came into existence in the year 2001 and his big break came when he met Ali Baba.

In 1999, Basket mouth got involved in events management alongside his comedy acts. He and his friend (Bayo Adekeye) promoted and packaged shows that featured the likes of plantation boiz, remedies, and a host of other artists. It was during that period that Laff n Jamz was conceptualized.On the 1st of November 2000, the concept came to reality featuring Ali Baba, Paul Play, Teju babyface, mandy, Mr. Patrick and a host of others. Immediately after Laff n Jamz in UNIBEN, Ali Baba told Bright to come down to Lagos to expose his skills. It was hard to combine studies and standup comedy but it was done.

After Basket mouth featured Plantation Boiz in 2000, they asked him to anchor a monthly show that was held at the den in Ikeja. It was during that period that Bright impacted the entertainment industry in Lagos.Things got bigger and better when Bright was invited by Tequila events to perform alongside Julius Agwu on a tour that hit over 30 higher institutions around Nigeria. Basket’s emergence in Lagos can be traced back to the year in 2000 when he performed at a concert called hanging with the home boys; his performance wowed the audience and he won their acceptance. He extended his act to the monthly motherland concert hosted by Lagbaja. Afterwards, Ali Baba introduced him to Opa Williams who then featured him in the now most popular comedy show in Nigeria and beyond (Nite of a 1000 laughs).

The name BASKET MOUTH hit the big screen when he featured in international concerts that witnessed the likes of Joe, Boys 2 Men, Sean Paul, Beyonce, Wyclef Jean, Dru Hill, Akon, Snoop Dogg, Ciara, Chris Brown and many others. His international gig was in Europe (2003) after which he stayed off the foreign scene until his debut performance in Atlanta at the Nigerian Reunion in 2006. This performance led to series of performances and bookings in the United States and other countries including South Africa.Back to back through the last 4 years, Bright has won the National Comedy Award for Best Comedian of the year, Best Standup Comedian on the year (2005/6). As a follow upto the growth, he formed a company called humor unlimited (2004), (stage play) -Devils kiss (2004), and in 2006 took it higher by forming a one man standup comedy show which made history in Nigeria [Basket Mouth Uncensored 1,2,&3]. He later established a consulting/event & Artist management company (Barons World Entertainnment) in 2006.

Basket Mouth is currently one of the brand ambassadors of one of the leading telecommunications companies in Africa (Globacom) till date, Basket Mouth stands out as one of the names to reackon with in the entertainment industry.

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