Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, professionally known as Ali Baba, 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, master of ceremonies and actor.

Early life

Ali Baba was born in Agbarha otor,

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 ...

, Nigeria on 24 June 1965, to the royal family of Agbarha Otor. He is the first son of several children and spent his first 8 years in Warri, Delta State. His father is a retired soldier who served in

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 ...

Education

He attended Command Secondary School, Ipaja, Lagos State, and Ibru College Agbarha-Otor, Delta State. He attended Bendel State University (now

Ambrose Alli University Ambrose Alli University (AAU) is a state-owned university in Edo State, Nigeria. It was established in 1981 by the governor of Bendel State (now Edo and Delta States), Ambrose Folorunsho Alli. Initially known as Bendel State University, subs ...

Ekpoma Ekpoma is a town in Edo State, Nigeria. It is the administrative headquarters of the Esan West Local Government Area. Ekpoma lies on the geographical coordinate of latitude . The town has an official Post Office, and it is home to the Ambrose ...

and graduated with a degree in Religious Studies & Philosophy.He was neighbour to Pastor Chris Oyakhilome while at school in university.

Career

After completing his academic degree in 1990, he relocated back to

, to develop his comedy talent he discovered at the university. Originally, he planned to study Law but decided he could be more successful by making people laugh than by defending them.

Professional career

He began his professional career performing at corporate events, appearing on television shows with

Patrick Doyle Patrick Doyle (born 6 April 1953) is a Scottish composer and occasional actor best known for his film scores. During his 50-year career in film, television and theatre, he has composed the scores for over 60 feature films. A longtime collaborato ...

, Charly Boy, and Danladi Bako, and making cameo appearances on radio shows with Bisi Olatilo, Sani Irabor, and Mani Onumonmu. He also worked with Prince Adedapo Benjamin Adelegan of DP Lekki Limited as executive assistant in 1991. In 2014, Ali Baba started an annual comedy event called the 1 January concert. Comedians come up to review the events of the previous year and a first-class graduate from the preceding year receives an award. In 2015, he started an event called Spontaneity; a quarterly event for budding comedians. Notable among the finalists of this competition is

Woli Arole Woli Arole (born February 22, 1990) is a Nigerian comedian, actor and on-air personality. Professionally he is called Arole, Woli Arole. Early life and education Woli Arole was born in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria. He had his primary education i ...

at the 2016 edition. Ali Baba maintains the philosophy that his business is big enough for all who want to make comedy their chosen profession. As such, he supports, mentors, and presents several comedians helping to ensure that standards are maintained, and professionalism encouraged.

Awards

Recognition

Ali Baba was inducted into the

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...

'Striding Man' Society in 2009 which recognizes men who have achieved great strides in their chosen fields and who motivate and encourage others ''Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo wrote his forward'' from Nigerian Film website. Retrieved on 15 September 2008, from http://www.nigeriafilms.com/content.asp?ContentTypeID=7&contentid=3122 In 2012, he rang the Year End Closing Bell of the

Nigerian Stock Exchange The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NGX), now Nigerian Exchange Group, is an integrated stock exchange group in Africa founded in 1961 in Lagos. Following the demutualization of the NSE in 2021, NGX Group now has 3 subsidiaries - Nigerian Exchange Limit ...

, the first Nigerian comedian to do so. He is a Special Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps. In March 2015, Ali Baba was featured o
CNN African voices
speaking about his goal to professionalize and gain acceptance for Nigerian comedians. In April 2018, Ali Baba received the Paul Harris Fellowship by

Rotary International Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. The self-declared mission of Rotary, as stated on its website, is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and p ...

for his contribution to the Nigerian Comedy industry

Personal life

Ali Baba is married to Mary Akpobome.

Select filmography

*''My Guy'' (1998) *''The Last 3 Digits'' (2014) *''Head Gone'' (2014) *'' The Wedding Party'' (2016) *''Alakada'' (2017) *''Gold Statue (2019) as Mr. Manuel'' *''The Man for the Job (2022) as Lai''

References

External links

Xclusive Features on Ali Baba and other Nigerian comedians
{{DEFAULTSORT:Akpobome, Alibaba Living people 1965 births Nigerian male comedians Ambrose Alli University alumni Nigerian television personalities Nigerian male film actors Male actors from Warri 21st-century Nigerian male actors Actors from Delta State Nigerian stand-up comedians Nigerian comedians