Renowned comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, widely known as Alibaba, asserts that he is the originator of a significant portion of the jokes told by Nigerian comedians.
Despite comedians recycling his jokes, the ‘King of Comedy’ mentioned that some still believe he hasn’t made substantial contributions to the comedy industry.
He shared this perspective in a recent episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast, co-hosted by actor Chinedu Ani Emmanuel, also known as Deity Cole, and Husband Material.
Alibaba said, “Sometimes some people will say I am not helping but 4/5 of the jokes you are telling are mine.
“There was one guy who called me the other day, very popular skit maker. He pushed one video out. And it’s a joke about… This one happened in Warri when someone wanted to cut somebody’s light and they brought dogs and cutlasses and told the person, ‘When you finish come down.’ I told that joke 1988. And then they turned it into skit.
“There are several skits circulating that are inspired by my jokes.”
He recommended that skit makers and comedians consistently acknowledge the original creators of their content ideas.