He was born Atunyota Alleluya Akporobomemerere but to make pronunciation less Toungue twisting, and very more comprehensible, he went for an easier ‘guy name’— Alibaba.
Alibaba started his early life in Warri but came to Lagos for the first time in 1976 and he was living in Ojo Cantonment. He went to St. Micheal Primary School, Ojo and then to Command Secondary School, Ipaja after which he returned to join his father in Warri (when his father retired from the Army).
As a Young undergraduate, his father, Chief Alfred Akpophiohwobo Akporobome (the OTOTA R'OVIE OF AGBARHA KINGDOM, UGHELLI, DELTA STATE ) felt the best career for him was Law and Alibaba agreed with his father.
[caption id="attachment_1864" align="alignleft" width="200"]
Alibaba performing at AY Live on Easter Sunday[/caption]False!
He didn't.
Sticking to his dream came with Price: His father disowned him. And stopped sponsoring his education. He wanted to prove to him that Comedy is better than Law. He seem to have seen some big picture and wigs and gavels were not in it.
At that time that was no Biggie. Alibaba had an Uncle who lives in 1004 flats in Lagos. He moved to Lagos 1990 the same year Portugal beat the Flying Eagles Junior World Cup which held in Russia.
The ‘beating’ was symbolic. Alibaba will be great but first he must be beaten by the canes of life. In other words he must be Transformed by Trouble.
And Trouble showed up fast.
Because of his Comedy career, he keeps late night, so one night, His Uncle asked him to come downstairs to the Living room. No, he wasn't called to come and partake in the Night Devotion before everyone sleeps. Like Big Brother Africa, he was about to be evicted.
NTA’s Tokunbo Ajayi witnessed the eviction. Sorry, She actually was reading the News on NTA News that night.
The reason for Alibaba’s Uncle evicted him is not because he sneaks to the Kitchen at Night to steal meats from the Pot of Stew, No. It was because he keeps late nights, and his Uncle was afraid that could be a bad influence on his Kids. They might just assume coming home very late is the new cool way of life.
Unlike Big Brother Africa, Alibaba’s eviction was not immediate. He still slept in the house that night.
But God was so so good to Alibaba. The next morning, he got a bigger apartment. In his new apartment, he doesn't pay ‘NEPA’ bills. And good for him, it was on high brow, Victoria Island. It’s a place you know very well – Lagos Bar Beach.
Alibaba paid N5 per night at the beach. At dusk, Alibaba is giving a Chair on which he lays till the next morning. Before 6am in the morning, he arranged for people that would give you warm water to take your bath. After he’s had his bath and breakfast he treks to NTA where he, well, works at that time.
At work, when his boss ask all staff living on the Island to signify by raising up their hands, Alibaba raises his own hand, too.
Living on the beach must go down as a risk. What if Alibaba slept on a night, and in the middle of the night some beautiful woman came to sleep close to him Caressing him on his back. What if his temperature began rising? What if he turned around to return the romantic gesture? And what if his finds out his tender guest was a Mermaid?
Fast Forward!
Things picked up. Alibaba’s ‘obstinacy’ paid off. He now lives the Physical Equivalent of the BIG Picture he saw when his father rejected and abandoned him. He brought many other great comedians into the BIG Picture, also.
Alibaba was invited to an event which held at Eko Hotel and Suites premises in 2009, Nineteen Years after the returned to Lagos to live his Comedy Dream. It was the Ovation Red Carol, and it was one of those years Religious Crisis were on a dismal high in Jos.
This is one of Alibaba’s Memorable Jokes at the event.Then, this Jos thing, religious intolerance is very bad. We need to settle this quickly. They had a conference about two weeks ago. The Sultan of Sokoto was the chairman, Bishops and all those people were there. They were trying to talk to people on religious tolerance and this Bishop got back to his room and saw two prostitutes.
“How did you get to my room? Are you mad? Don’t you know I am a man of God?”
“Sir, we thought it was one of our customers, and it’s already 3am we can go anywhere…”
The Bishop cuts in
“No! ONE of you has to go.”
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