Veteran Nigerian comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, has revealed that his dad kept malice with him for ten years because he chose to become a comedian rather than a lawyer.
Alibaba revealed this when he featured as a guest in the Christmas edition of The Honest Bunch Podcast,
Alibaba recounted leaving the university to inform his dad about his decision to become a comedian only for his reaction to force him to abscond from home.
He said he became determined to be a successful comedian in a bid to prove his father wrong.
Alibaba said; “My dad is a bookworm. He got his PhD at 86. I told him, I said, ‘Daddy, I came from school to tell you something.’ He said, ‘Okay, have you been rusticated?’ I said, ‘No. I’ve decided that I don’t want to read law. I want to do comedy.’
He asked, ‘Comedy like what?’ I said, ‘Like cracking jokes.’ He laughed and asked my younger brother to call my uncle who lived close by.
When my uncle came, he asked what the matter was and I said I don’t want to read law again that I want to do comedy.
He said that means I’ve found another father, stressing that I can’t be part of the family and won’t read law.
He said all the money my dad spent on me was wasted. He told my dad to handle the situation and left.
I knew I couldn’t sleep in that house because my dad would beat me. So as my uncle was going out, I followed him to lock the burglary and I didn’t go back in.
And my dad and I didn’t talk from 1988 – 1998. Ten years. I tried to reach out to him. I went one time to talk to him but he didn’t want to see me.
This was the thing. So people ask, ‘Where did you get the inspiration to become a great comedian?’ I was committed. I was like I want to prove him [my Dad] wrong.”
