He opened the floodgate of the now generation commedians; he showed Nigerian youths that there is money to be made by just making people laughing off their chairs at shows with their jokes, the way the likes of Bill Corbsy do it in America. And for that, he is called the king of stand up commedy.
Though, there were others like the late John Chukwu, Segun Nascet and even Baba Sallah who were there before and who did not professionalise comedy like Ali Baba.
Fondly called “Ochie” by his mentees, he is best defined as the grandfather of stand up comedy in Nigeria. It’s amazing how one man’s passion, drive, belief and hope can significantly open doors and give hope to over a thousand individuals and still growing.
He is adored and loved by the comedy family and indeed by Nigerians, but what is most mesmerizing is how a whole lot of comedians never fail to acknowledge the role Ali plays in person or by proxy, in their making.
He has indeed left indelible foot prints in the sands of time, as it is said, a man’s success is best weighed by the number of men and women he made. It is therefore, it is not surprising that he is a recipient of The Creative Industry Group’s Lifetime Achievers Award.
You came, You saw and You are conquering.
Congratulations Ali Baba.
We appreciate your contributions and dogged commitment to the growth of the Nigerian creative Space.
