CNN chronicles Nigeria’s unsung comics and growing popularity of comedy clubs

he comedy circuit in Nigeria is one vibrant sector judging by the success recorded by the trailblazers in the industry like ace comedian Ali Baba, AY, Basketmouth, Okey Bakassi and Funny Bone et al.

In a fresh episode, Inside Africa, CNN International travels to Lagos to explore the stand-up comedy circuit and met with unsung comics revolutionizing Nigeria’s comedy scene.

Onyebuchi ‘Buchi’ Ojieh, an established comedian in Nigeria, believes there’s an innate sense of comedy in Nigerians, he explains: “Nigerians are comedians, all of us. When you have a bad situation, Nigerians make light of it and that’s why they call us the happiest people on Earth.” To Buchi, Nigerians were born to be comics and is a nation that loves to laugh. While Nigeria may be a nation that loves to laugh, Buchi believes they are now in: “A golden era for comedians.”

Buchi recalls how his first experience of comedy was abroad in South Africa: “When I started traveling I used to go to South Africa and they used to have comedy festivals… It was alien to me because coming from Nigeria it was all music and then a little bit of comedy and now it’s so exciting because that’s always what we wanted.”

Comics and comedy clubs have rapidly gained popularity in Nigeria and the industry now attracts support throughout the country. Buchi speaks about how quickly the comedy scene has grown: “Just a few years ago, I’m not talking about 10 years ago, just a few years down the line stand-up was not a thing… but right now it’s this thing, it’s an industry.”

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Rasheed Jaiyeola, the co-founder of Bukka Hut Limited, also joined the trail benefitting from the growing stand-up comedy circuit in Nigeria, when opened a comedy club in the Lekki area in 2012 and followed that with another club in Ikoyi two years later.

He tells CNN’s Inside Africa about the successes he has had since opening his comedy clubs: “In the space of like six months, we always had a sold-out crowd. Our lounges would be full. There would be no space for people to sit. So that we had to consider getting another building…the building behind then was vacant, so we had to move the lounge there. And after we did that…the crowd actually doubled. And it has always been growing since then.”

Jaiyeola believes social media has played a crucial role in helping comedians grow their fame and that the comedy scene has benefited from the “chaotic nature of life in Lagos.” He explains: “Lagos State can be a very stressful place to live, with all the traffic and all the other stress that comes with it. So, people are actually looking for a way to unwind in the evenings… and that was why we decided to do the comedy club in the first place.”

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