Alibaba, a renowned Nigerian comedian, recently shared a story about how his decision to pursue a career in comedy instead of becoming a lawyer caused a decade-long rift between him and his father.
During an appearance on The Honest Bunch Podcast’s special Christmas edition, Alibaba reminiscenced about his journey.
He revealed that he had left university to personally inform his father about his ambition to become a comedian.
However, his father’s response was so disapproving that he felt compelled to run away from home.
This negative reaction from his father fueled Alibaba’s determination to succeed in the world of comedy. He made it his mission to prove his father wrong and show him that he could thrive in his chosen path.
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.”
