Veteran comedian Alibaba has voiced concerns about a lack of professionalism and decorum among some Nigerian comedians, recounting an incident where a colleague made an offensive joke about a corporate event chairman’s wife
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]ce Nigerian comedian Alibaba has publicly raised concerns over what he describes as a growing lack of professionalism among some of his colleagues in the industry.
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Speaking on a recent episode of the ‘Outside The Box’ podcast, the veteran entertainer recounted a specific incident where a comedian he had recommended to host a corporate event ended up making a highly offensive joke about the chairman’s plus-size wife.
Nigerian comedy decorum is a key concern for Alibaba, who stated, “There are about three Nigerian comedians who I can’t stand. They have no decorum. They insult sensibilities. You try to correct them, they won’t listen to you. You send them to a corporate event and they do dirty jokes. And when you receive report of their unruly behaviour and you confront them, they would downplay it.”
There are about three Nigerian comedians who I can’t stand. They have no decorum. They insult sensibilities. You try to correct them, they won’t listen to you.
Alibaba went on to share the particularly inappropriate remark made at the event. “Somebody called me one time to complain about one of them that he made a joke about his plus-size wife. He said, ‘If a race happens now and everyone has to carry their wives and run, you can’t carry this woman and run.’ I was like, that’s below the belt.”
He added that when he confronted the comedian about the joke, the individual “downplayed it” and even suggested to someone else that Alibaba was only confronting him because he felt threatened by the comedian’s rising prominence.
While declining to name the comedians involved, Alibaba underscored the critical need for boundaries in comedy.
He strongly encouraged his peers to lean towards wit and intelligence in their comedic material rather than resorting to tasteless or offensive jokes.
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He concluded his remarks by advising comedians to clearly understand and respect where to draw the line, particularly when performing at formal or corporate events, where the audience and context demand a different approach.
Ibrahim Onipede is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, public affairs, and human-interest stories.
