‘My wife thought I was fraudster – Ali Baba

By Ada Osadebe

Nigerian comedian, Atunyota Akpobome popularly called Ali Baba has revealed how his wife thought he was into fraud when he made N1.6 million from a gig in 1996.

The 57-year-old stand-up comedian made this known on Thursday, during an Instagram live session with a TV personality, Morayo Afolabi-Brown.

He said, “The first thing you must know is that Lagos is a centre for excellence. And, if you are not bringing that to the table, just stay where you are.

“It means that when you are coming to Lagos, people want the ‘A’ game in your performance. The reason people call us (comedians) to feature in their events is because of the service we provide. If the service is not well provided, there are people who will fault us.”

The comedian also mentioned how Lagosians’ income levels would be impacted by Lagos expansion.

“If Lagos continues to grow, our earning power will also grow. I remember coming to Lagos and earning between N500 and N1000. But, the value that was placed on the service I offered increased.

“In 1996, I was paid N1.6m by Guinness to promote one of their brands Satzenbrau. We practically toured everywhere in the country. When the money came (into my account), my wife thought I had got involved in advance fee fraud,” he added.