Bowoto Jephthah Oluwatiseyifumi Tanimola, popularly known as Akpororo, is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

stand-up

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

, vocalist and actor.

Early life and career

Akpororo is a native of Ilaje,

Ondo State Ondo () is a States of Nigeria, state in Points of the compass, southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State (Nigeria), Western State. Ondo borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast fo ...

, southwest

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

but he was born and brought up in

Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri, Udu, Okpe and Uvwie are the commercial ...

, a city in

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

, south-south Nigeria where he had his early education. His career started off as a local gospel musician until in 2008 when he went into the National Comedy Challenge by Opa Williams and went on to win the Calabar zone of the competition. In 2009, Akpororo moved to

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

and contested twice in the ''AY's Open Mic Challenge'', coming second in his first try and winning the competition in his second try. He rose to popularity in 2013 following his performance at "

Basketmouth Bright Okpocha (born 14 September 1978), better known by his stage name Basketmouth, is a Nigerian comedian and actor. He has organized popular stand-up comedy concerts like ''Basketmouth Uncensored'' across the globe. Basketmouth hosted a comedy ...

's Laff and Jam" show and went on to perform in several comedy shows including "AY Live". He is 5 ft, 7 inches. On 12 August 2014, he staged his first major comedy show "Akpororo vs Akpororo" at the Shell Hall, MUSON Centre. The maiden event saw the attendance of notable musical acts and comedians. In 2014, Akpororo delved into acting, starring in the films ''Headgone'' and '' The Antique''; with the former earning him three nominations at the 2015 Golden Icons Academy Movie Awards.

Artistry

His style of comedy is basically the fusion of secular and church-related jokes. In an interview, he revealed that he performs and cracks jokes about lunatics because he was once an attendant to mentally-ill people who came to the church he was attending for spiritual healing.

Endorsement deals

In June 2015, he signed a 2-year endorsement deal with telecommunication company Airtel Nigeria.

Awards and nominations

Personal life

He is married to Josephine Ijeoma Abraham, following their wedding in

Surulere Surulere is a local government area located on the mainland in Lagos State, Nigeria. It has an area of . At the 2006 census, there were 503,975 inhabitants, with a population density of 21,864 inhabitants per square kilometer. The local governm ...

Lagos State Lagos State (, ) is a States of Nigeria, state in South West, Nigeria. Of the 36 States of Nigeria, Nigerian states, Lagos is the second List of Nigerian states by population, most populous state but the List of Nigerian states by area, smallest ...

on 14 November 2015. He is a student of

Lagos State University Lagos State University (LASU) is a state-owned university established by the Lagos State government in 1983. Its main campus is situated at Ojo, Lagos State, Ojo, with sub-campuses at Ikeja and Epe. The university was set up "for the advanceme ...

where he is studying

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

References