Alibaba also added that his father’s action made him more determined to become successful comedian
By Kehinde Okeowo
Nigerian comedian and actor, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, better known as Alibaba, has revealed that his dad kept malice with him for a decade because he decided to choose comedy over becoming a lawyer.
The veteran comic actor made this known while featuring as a guest in the Christmas edition of The Honest Bunch Podcast.
According to him, after leaving the university, he approached his dad to tell him about his dreams of becoming a comedian but his reaction forced him to abscond from home.
He went on to say his father’s action made him more determined to be a successful comedian in a bid to prove him wrong.
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Speaking during the chat, 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.”