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 taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

stand-up comedian, master of ceremonies and actor.

Early life

Ali Baba was born 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 and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercia ...

, Delta State, 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. His father is a retired soldier who served in

Lagos Lagos ( Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 f ...

Education

He attended Command Secondary School, Ipaja, Lagos ,and Ibru College Agbarha-Otor, Delta. He attended Bendel State University (now Ambrose Alli University), Ekpoma and graduated with a degree in Religious Studies & Philosophy.

Career

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

, to develop his comedic 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 film composer with Irish heritage. A longtime collaborator of actor-director Kenneth Branagh, Doyle is known for his work composing for films such as '' Henry V'', '' Sense and Sensibility'', ''Ham ...

, 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 Adedapo Benjamin Adelegan (born April 20, 1962) is a Nigerian politician and entrepreneur who was the 14th president and chairman of the council of the Nigeria British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC), a fellow and executive member, Institute of Dir ...

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 now owned by Diageo that originated in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire. The brand was first established by grocer John Walker. It is the most widely distributed brand of blended Sco ...

'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 first Nigerian comedian to do so. He is a Special Marshal of the

Federal Road Safety Corps Federal Road Safety Corps is the Government Agency with statutory responsibilities for road safety administration in Nigeria. Founded in 1988, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) operates in all Nigerian states as well as the Federal Capital ...

. 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. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, prof ...

for his contribution to the Nigerian Comedy industry

Family

Ali Baba is married to Mary Akpobome Ali Baba has five children three girls and two boys.

Personal life

Ali Baba is an avid reader and enjoys painting. he survived

covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickl ...

Select filmography

*''My Guy'' (1998) *''The Last 3 Digits'' (2014) *''Head Gone'' (2014) *'' The Wedding Party'' (2016) *''Alakada'' (2017)

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 20th-century births Nigerian stand-up comedians