I started comedy on the streets begging for mic …Enenche, da Comedian

Enenche: That name is a name exclusively reserved for great men. Yes people always say that the name is greater than what they see on the outward. Any Enenche you see is potentially a great man. Most of them are doing well in their various endevour. It actually belonged to my great grandfather, Chief Enenche […]

Enenche: That name is a name exclusively reserved for great men. Yes people always say that the name is greater than what they see on the outward. Any Enenche you see is potentially a great man. Most of them are doing well in their various endevour. It actually belonged to my great grandfather, Chief Enenche Udoh. My father was also a great man so I am naturally walking in their footsteps.

 

Why did a graduate of chemistry like you decide to venture into comedy business?

I actually started performing right from my first year in secondary school. When I left secondary school, I actually wanted to study Medicine. I said then that I would not study any other course even when I was offered Bio Chemistry in UNIMAID. Benue state university gave me Biology while Ilorin offered me Anatomy. All these I rejected. I eventually took up an offer at Benue state university but I was still pained that I could not get the course I wanted. So on the night of the matriculation, I refused to wear the gown. On the night of the matriculation there was an event on campus and I was invited to do a joke on stage. That was the starting point. From there, other fellowship presidents on campus would invite me for programmes and I would attend. I ended up putting smiles on their faces. I found passion and a platform of expression in comedy while I was in the university. My comedy started on the streets of Makurdi especially at church organised programmes. Enenche became a household name in Makurdi. Like a joke, I found myself in the Night of a thousand laughs in 2004. This was because of a programme I performed in at Abuja where I impressed Klint the Drunk who thereafter linked me up with Opa Williams who picked interest in me. Since then, it has been glorious only that with every platform there are always unique challenges.

What are these challenges?

One of the challenges I see is the fact that comedy business has not been institutionalised yet like it is in other countries. In Nigeria ethics and decency is missing at times in the industry. There are things that a comedian should not say if things are done rightly. The fact that we have the microphone is simply through grace not that we merit it. But what you find out today about the industry is that someone can just wake up today and become a comedian without the necessary ethics and guidance inculcated. If the government can come in and try and institutionalise the comedy business and especially use it to project national values and interest, then that will be a step in the right direction. The authorities can even affiliate it with a relevant governmental body so that the activities therein can be monitored. There should be a formal curricula that comedians would pass through before they can be recognised. Comedy is a natural inclination of course and you can not learn it but if there is a professional curriculum for it, this would make you a better comedian. If you are a comedian and you go to school, it only makes you a better comedian. Maybe I will be the one to pioneer the idea in Nigeria.

It seems you are very passionate about this…

You know how fragile our nation is due to the fact that it is a complex entity. There are things you say in Warri and you cannot say in Kano and vice versa. There are ethics and you do not just open your mouth simply because you are a comedian. These things you do not find in the comedy business and this is what pains veterans like Opa Williams. Before any of his shows, he keeps on hammering on this to the comedians. These ethics can be taught formally if it is institutionalised. Furthermore, the industry is very large and the market potentials are equally huge.

Is that why there is a lot of obscenity in most Nigerian comedy presentations?

Offensive comedy actually sells but you have to understand the kind of society you find yourself. Some swear words can be uttered in America but in our society they wont go down well with the listener. Comedy is local and you have to be dynamic. What you market in Oturkpo may not sell in Osogbo. What is permissive in Kano may not go down well in Olobiri. The fact that they laugh to eat in Warri does not mean that they do that in Gusau. That is where the gift comes in. That is why you have the syndrome of recycled jokes prevalent among most comedians. The most important lesson any comedian must take is that the sensibilty of your audience must be respected at all times. Like a book I once read, it says look for what your audience appreciates and tie your jokes round them. That is the greatest lesson for comedians who want to go far. Any audience whose sensibilities you cannot respect, then you are not fit to stand before them.

Stark economic realities pull most people into the business and this has its own peculiar consequences. Is that true about you?

It may not really be poverty. But have you seen Obasanjo, Babagida or Dangote’s child involved in comedy business? It is tied to the economy to a large extent but passion also plays a great role. Most peole who exhibit talents today rose from abject poverty. I started comedy on the streets of Makurdi begging for microphone. It is a fact that economic constraints polishes one’s talents and brings out the best in you. It pushes you the extra mile. To me there is no silver brought up talent.

Why is there an overdependence on Lagos based comedians when people like you practice mostly in the FCT?

The Abuja boys are not serious. Just a few are serious. Lagos fans or any other set of fans cannot respect you when they see you giving a rehash of Lagos jokes. Many of Abuja comedians only repeat AY’s or Klint the Drunk’s jokes. There is no originality. People like I  pioneered Warri jokes. Why cant Abuja comedians tell the nation how Abuja looks like through their jokes? Have you ever heard any joke about the Gwari tribe before? Can a young boy in Daura or Abeokuta know that people carry belongings on their shoulders? There are comic views about it. If you are an Abuja comedian then do Abuja jokes. I am from Benue and I am proud to reflect Benue in my performances…