By Our Reporter
Nigerian comedy kingpin, Ali Baba, was bestowed with the Award of Excellence for Social Impact And Entertainment by the Presidency for his contribution to the comedy industry.
The 54-year-old comedian was presented the award by Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, during a ceremony at The Banquet Hall, Aso Rock Villa.
The man born, Alleluya Akpobome, was selected for his contribution to the entertainment industry which is a key part of the micro, medium and small scale enterprise initiative as identified by the government.
While celebrating the award with friends and family members, Ali Baba said Parents usually want the best for their kids, so it is tough for them to accept a child going into a profession or career that they do not think will earn them a good living.
In a long post on his timeline, revealed that his dad disowned him when he started comedy. This was because the popular career paths like being a lawyer, doctor, accountant, banker e.t.c were what parents/guardians termed as the ideal jobs and profession, while anything devoid of that was a child’s play.
Read his post.
In 1988, when I started doing standup comedy, there many told me that much. My father disowned me. His reason? He could not see any future in what I did.
Many people are limited by history of things and what they already know. Those who create the future get triggered by things that can be seen in the future.
How futuristic are your dreams? What is it that needs to be developed? Who will benefit from it? What are the things that will make it happen?
I look back now and think about how many people tried to discourage me. Those who thought the ladder to success, was exclusively by climbing as a Doctor, Lawyer, Engineer, Banker, Architect, Accountant, Civil Servant…
Today, there are comedians who are worth 3 billion (more or less) in assets and liquid cash. There are comedians, whose social impact and economic value, has empowered many who are in those core walks of life mentioned above.
The Eiffel Tower was built in the 1800s. Today, that structure, is the centre of the economy of Paris.
What structures do we have, to drive economic development and help trigger different dreams.
We live from hand to mouth. We sell the oil. Spend it. Drill for more oil. Spend it. And the fraction we even spend is small. The rest of the money stolen. We have been stolen blind. And the thieves are living large amongst us.
The Pyramids built in the days of Moses, still feed Egypt. The Walls of China. The leaning Tower of Pissa. The Ruins of Rome… every where.
Where can you see those iconic landmarks in Nigeria?. How have their values been maximized? Visit our Museums. Yet we want the artefacts taken away, that are getting the best treatment, to be returned. Laughable.
We must start creating the future, developing our infrastructures now and prepare them for the next generation.
Buhari needs to act now. He must act now
