After a successful show last month in Kent, England with the king of Comedy himself, Alibaba, MC OJB is in Lagos and he’s set to produce his comedy franchise, ‘My Experience’, both in Lagos and Ibadan.
In a chat, recounting his venture into the comic craft, the hilarious humour merchant ecstatically chronicled his sojourn.
“I started as a master of ceremony for events, and as an MC, part of your job is to entertain the audience, make them laugh, carry them along and make the event memorable, this talent helped in becoming a stand-up comedian today. Comedy helped me as introverted as I am, I know many people don’t believe it when I say I’m an introvert.
Comedy helped to be friendly and see things differently. I love to make people happy, so comedy for me is not just a business but, it’s a lifestyle. The best thing about my job is seeing people laugh and enjoy my performance, the ability to take stress off people’s mind. Being a public figure, you can’t afford to misbehave, because you are a role model without asking for it.
He added that the humour-making craft is actually a lucrative venture. “It is a very lucrative and competitive industry. I’m glad about the business opportunities the industry is creating.
The industry has created opportunities for young people in the country with the online skits makers, and professional comedians. Comedians and influencer (skit makers) can now make a proper living from doing what they love and also make people happy. I’m glad with the hard work that everyone is putting into their craft.”
Speaking on how he concocts his comic materials, he said, “I feed from everything around me and add comedy fiction to it. I think, I see, I write and add stage charisma to it. I add fiction to the idea, and then imagine myself in the scenario.”
MC OJB whose top five comic understudies include: Seyilaw, AY, Basketmouth, Alibaba and Kevin Hart, he was quick to recall one of the most memorable moments of his comic-making career. According to him, Alibaba gave him the most memorable moment of his career just last month, February 2022, when the acclaimed ‘King of Comedy’ graced his show.
“The most memorable moment of my career was when Alibaba came to my show in February. It really blew my mind. I felt honoured. I felt like I must be doing something right for the king of Comedy to surprise me at my show and also take the stage.”
Speaking further, he shared his thoughts on society’s perspective of the humour-making business. He said, “The perspective has changed compared to what it was before. We are now seen as business men, putting smile on people’s face and making good living out of it.”
Advising prospective comedians, he said, “Understand the game properly before going fully into it. Understand that you can’t be funny forever, so invest when you are shining.”