Renowned Nigerian comedian, Alibaba, has revealed the unexpected moment that marked the beginning of his career in comedy.

Speaking in a recent interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise, Alibaba revealed that his foray into the entertainment industry was unplanned and happened during his days at Ambrose Alli University in Ekpoma, in the late 1980s.

According to him, the turning point came during a Congo music striptease performance on campus.

He said the performer abruptly left the stage, causing the excited crowd to surge forward in confusion.

To manage the situation, Alibaba was asked to address and calm the restless audience.

He said he began emceeing the event and throwing in jokes to ease the tension, an act that unexpectedly resonated with the crowd.

“It was a defining moment,” he recalled. “The connection with the audience was instant. I just knew this was what I was meant to do.”

That impromptu performance marked the beginning of what would become a trailblazing 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.” (The Nation)

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