Comedian Alibaba has revealed that his journey into stand-up comedy began with an unexpected moment of improvisation during his university days.

In an interview with Channels, the 60-year-old, whose real name is Atunyota Akpobome, recounted how a stripper’s stage fright at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, set him on the path to becoming one of Nigeria’s most iconic entertainers.

Alibaba explained that during 1986 and 1987, Congo music had gained immense popularity in Nigeria, which led to an influx of dancers from the region.

“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,” he said.

He continued:
“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.”

The crowd grew agitated, and the organisers feared the show might collapse. Alibaba said he was approached to calm the situation.

“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.”

He added:
“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.”

Before that moment, Alibaba was studying religious studies and philosophy and was considering a future in law. However, the response from the crowd that night led him to explore comedy more seriously.

After university, he moved to Lagos and began performing at events, on radio and television. He soon became a household name and played a pivotal role in transforming stand-up comedy in Nigeria into a respected and lucrative profession.

Often referred to as the father of modern Nigerian stand-up, Alibaba has mentored many of the country’s leading comedians including AY, Basketmouth, Bovi and Seyi Law. He also created the January 1st Concert, a major platform for showcasing comedy talents.

In October 2022, he was honoured with the officer of the order of the Niger (OON) award by then-president Muhammadu Buhari for his contributions to the creative industry.