Fans once booed me off stage because I was tipsy – Onome da Saint

What inspired you to become a standup comedian? Actually, I stumbled into the profession. I was more into comedy drama acting in my secondary school days. I did a lot in school and in church. Somehow, I found myself doing these things professionally. Actually, I started doing standup comedy in Zaria when I was in […]

What inspired you to become a standup comedian?

Actually, I stumbled into the profession. I was more into comedy drama acting in my secondary school days. I did a lot in school and in church. Somehow, I found myself doing these things professionally. Actually, I started doing standup comedy in Zaria when I was in school but I never intended to do it professionally because I had some dreams which I wanted to actualize. I wanted to become an accountant and a successful businessman. But since all these did not work out, I had to switch to something else. But before that, I tried to travel out of the country on several occasions but without any luck. So it was while thinking on the way forward in my life that a friend of mine, Cecilia Egbeli with the NTA Abuja called me for a show in Abuja. So she arranged for me to perform at the first edition of “Names on Platinum” by Extranger. I performed alongside Clint the Drunk in 2005. So from then, I got contacts and there has not been any form of going back.

How has comedy affected your life?

Comedy has affected my life in various ways. Today, I can conveniently settle my bills without any hassles. Besides, there is a lot of goodwill that comes from it. By making people laugh, cheering people up, it gives you an extra likeability by people around you. Sometimes, I get certain benefits that I do not deserve because I am known with the job. So, I think I have gotten certain things that I am working on in a while and for me, comedy has opened a lot of doors.

Years ago, people tend to see comedians as never-do-wells but all that has changed now, what do you think is responsible for this change?

Well, only one man is actually responsible for this and that man is the king of standup comedy, Ali Baba. He is the one that actually gave standup comedy business value. He is the one that gave it an economic face. Like you said people treat comedians with disrespect. The price for standup comedy then was in terms of food and drinks. But Ali Baba has changed all that to the extent that people have now realized that comedy is business and they have started paying for it. So, he is responsible for the changing fortunes of standup comedy today and that is why we respect him a lot.

What was your experience when you appeared on stage for the first time as a comedian?

That was in 2005 and you know being the first time, I was nervous. I had a lot of stage fright which was normal and I was not too professional. I came prepared with certain jokes but incidentally, I performed and I was appreciated. The only thing was that Clint the Drunk outshined me because he was already in the business.

Have you ever been booed on stage?

Of course, there is no one who has not been booed on stage. Every dog has its own bad day. I was booed on stage at a performance in Blake at Area 11. I got on stage and I was not myself and the next thing I saw was people shouting at me. I left the stage feeling so ashamed that I could not even turn to the next person to say hello. I sat down until everybody had gone before I gathered the courage to leave. So I told myself that that was the last day such thing will ever happen. So I told myself not to get tipsy before performance and to also get prepared before any event.

What is the state of standup comedy in Nigeria? Some people think it is an all comers affair especially since there is no regulatory body?

But Nigeria itself does not really have a regulatory body for anything. One thing with business in Nigeria is that once people see that a particular line of business is booming all over, they tend to jump into it. There was a time in this country when you find cyber cafes everywhere, everybody wanted to own a cyber café because it was lucrative but now, everybody has internet facility in their homes. So it is the same drag that is pulling people into standup comedy and you cannot really blame them because there economic situation in the country is nothing to write home about, so if you are talking about some person being qualified or not, well if you ask me, I will say there is no need for it because, I would rather have two million comedians than a few hundred armed robbers out there. I feel that there is a market for it, it is broad. All you need to do is put yourself together and always do the best that you can because there will always be wedding parties, naming ceremonies and other functions where people will need the services of a comedian. And as long as you can stand up to the demand of what your client want, then you will always be in business. It is not only peculiar to Nigeria but also in the United States of America. Nigeria does not even have half of the comedians in the USA.  So as long as you can be ethical and professional, you will always be in business.

Why do most comedians recycle jokes?

First of all every crowd is different and cannot be the same. Second, there are some materials that are considered ever green that could play into any event. Then, I would not want to use the word, recycle of joke because it is not easy to create a joke. But is not the same thing for music. For instance, Tuface came and sang African Queen and whenever he performs on stage, he sings African Queen and everybody loves it. The truth is that every crowd you attend to is a virgin crowd. I may be in this crowd and tell my joke and if it sells very well, I will go to Lagos and tell the same joke but for some of us, it is becoming too rampant but sometimes, you cannot really help it. It is part of the job.

And what about cracking obscene jokes?

Well, my name is Onome da Saint so I don’t crack obscene jokes. But everyone has got his own styles and strong holds. For some it is the obscene jokes while for others, it is insult. Some people don’t even know the difference between yabis and insults. For those who crack obscene jokes, their audiences too appreciate them because if the audiences don’t accept it, they would stop. So I don’t want you to view it from the angle of the artistes alone but also the audience. What is the reception of the audience to these things? It is not as if I support obscene jokes but we should look at it from both ways both the comedian and the audience. So that is how I see it. Personally, I don’t do obscene jokes and I don’t support it.

What is the future of comedy business in Nigeria?

The comedy industry is booming and thriving. The sector generates close to two billion naira a year. And that is some sort of progress in the country because people are beginning to appreciate humor and laughter. A lot of Nigerians are depressed so they are looking for ways to let go which is why comedy is thriving because laughter they say is the best medicine. That is why you see people going for comedy shows, and tuning to comedy programmes on radio and television. So the industry is growing and people are appreciating it the more