Alibaba stated qualities such as money management, respect, and understanding, asserting that for some men, these factors take precedence over love in relationships.
He advocates that prioritizing money isn’t always necessary when enumerating women’s contributions.
He said: “What you bring to the table doesn’t have to be cash. Sometimes it is Understanding, respect, and money management.”
Legendary comedian Alibaba has opened up on how ‘African Giant’ Burna Boy charged him less than the actual price when he invited him to perform at his show twice.
The comedian shared this in the Honest Bunch Podcast with media personality Nedu and other interviewers.
According to Alibaba, he had invited Burna Boy to perform at his show and he was charged less during both events.
He understands that is not Burna’s normal price so he does not go around telling people that that’s the amount Burna collects per show.
Alibaba knows it’s a favor so he doesn’t expect that is how much he would charge others.
He also explains that whenever he charges someone less for a comedy show as a personal favor, he writes a letter to them informing them of his normal price.
He wrote: “I have used Burna Boy twice for my show, I no what he charges but it is because ne you that he charged. But there are some people, if you do na you for them, they go tell other people what you charge. So I tell people that prices move around. If I’m doing something that costs 1.5m, I will do a letter to tou and tell you my fee is 1.5 but I’m doing it for you at an honorarium of 500.”
Comedian and actor, Akunyota Akpobome aka Alibaba, recently asserted that before being signed by a record label, aspiring artists engage in ‘dark’ practices.
In an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Friday, September 22, the seasoned entertainer emphasised that talented individuals should never succumb to such pressures, rather, they should steadfastly define their purpose and uphold the values instilled in them.
He said: “For me, there are some things that you would not want to do, and you must stick with it. It is the same thing with some of these artists, some of them do rituals now.
“As an artiste, you must define your purpose, you must hold on to some strong values you’ve been brought up with.
“If you are someone who is in a position with your creative abilities, you don’t need that kind of pressure. You don’t need somebody making you sign or take an oath for you to be creative.”
Alibaba insisted that some artistes’ essential values were being replaced with the deafening desire for fame and fortune; the reason most give in to these unwholesome practices.
He continued: “People just want to blow; they want to be seen, they want to be heard, they want to make money, they want to belong. And because of that, they step back from the values they have been brought up with and do what they shouldn’t do.”
The veteran entertainer noted that there were still some artistes genuinely thriving and holding their fort in spite of these pressures in the entertainment industry.
He added: “They don’t smoke, they don’t hold cigars, they don’t hold the glass cup and drink whiskey in their music videos and they insist on it.
“Even if the choreography says it would add colour to the video, they would say no.”
His remark comes on the heels of mounting public outcry over the allegations of abuse against Mohbad, who died at the age of 27 on September 12.
As a means of ameliorating the traffic situation of Lagos, comedian Alibaba has advised Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to invest in CCTVs at busy junctions, repair the roads and link motorists’ registration numbers to the their Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) and make traffic violators pay for their offence.
He said this on Tuesday via his Instagram account. According to Alibaba, he was leaving an event, The Dance Workshop and Conference at the Landmark Event Centre, Oniru, Lagos when he encountered traffic which should have been needless when the thought hit him.
“Spent 3 hours today… and came to the conclusion again, that we are the cause of our problems,” he began in the post which he tagged Governor Sanwo Olu.
“After the #tdwcafrica2019 at Landmark, I was on the road linking Ligali, going back to my office and noticed there was a gridlock.
“My driver said it will soon clear. When soon turned to 35 minutes, I came down and walked through the vehicles to see the cause of the HOLD UP was.
“4 lanes coming from Ligali towards Landmark and 5 lanes filtering onto the end of Ligali. Plus traffic from 3 streets pouring into the same road. The little spaces inbetween cars were all taken over by okada riders. While the spaces wider than those okadas could squeeze through had been pegged close by keke Napep.
“Managed to merge 4 lanes to 2 and 3 lanes in the opposite direction, to form 1 lane, just to decongest the gridlock. Worked. And after 2 hours, decorum had resumed. Hmmm.
“A thought hit me. If @jidesanwoolu wants to make extra N200b to develop Lagos, he should just invest in CCTVs at major and busy junctions. With STOP signs to boot. Borrow money fix the roads and drainages. Then set up a system that will get drivers and vehicles to be linked together. When you are caught on tape, beating the traffic lights or breaking traffic laws, you will just get the alert that the payment has been deducted from your account.
“To make this work, each car will have its registration number linked to the BVN of the owner. No need to set up any other means of collecting the money. And if you sell the car, you must go to the licensing office to change the BVN. Failure to do that means whoever drives the car and commits an offence, will not be debited. The original owner pays.
“If it’s a military vehicle, the debit comes from the military account. Same with corporate bodies. Individuals too. You can imagine Oga is sitting at home, in Ikoyi, and he gets a debit alert for traffic infractions in Lekki PHASE 1, N45,000. How? He will call the driver or whoever is with the car. Kilode? “I beat red lights sir”. Just sack yourself.
“And it doesn’t matter whether you have money in the account. The account will be on debit. Any day money comes in it will be deducted with interest.
No traffic.”
Traffic congestion in Lagos has been a perennial problem which many state administrations have yet to conquer.
Comedian Alibaba has gone down memory lane to relive his experience of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) which was introduced by the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
The comedian said that SAP which sparked riots all over the country saw students of his school then, Bendel State University, Ekpoma, destroy things and every student had to pay whether they took part in the riot or not.
He compared that era to the present administration of President Buhari whereby everyone will be affected.
“Many years ago, I was contacted by Amadi Ogbonnaya, of the VANGAURD newspapers to come perform at a Wednesday #LadiesNite at Jabita Club,” he began on Instagram.
“The Saturday before, I made a great impression on him at an event I came for on #YabaTech. He told me to ask after a certain Wale Olomu, if he was not there by the time I got there, to receive me.
“I landed Lagos on Wednesday morning at about 5:40am. The OBSERVER newspaper 504 pickup that brought us from Benin, stopped at Maryland. They had their Lagos office at Maryland. I particularly remember the journey because, it was the day that the almighty S.A.P riot started. May 24, 1989.
“That journey to Lagos was a memorable one. We had been run off the road few kilometres after the Benin Tollgate, at about 2am. We all came down & pushed the pick-up back onto the road. Then there was that time that a torn part of the tarpaulin, that was being blown by the wind and aerodynamics, caught the left ear of the lady sitting closest to it. And that drew blood. We had to stop to deal with it.
“The rest of the journey would have been okay, but for the rain that beat us from Ore till Sagamu. It was like the 7-1, Man United-Arsenal massacre. We couldn’t park and wait. So we crawled on from 0re till Sagamu Tollgate. The rain was not the problem. I had swapped sitting positions with the injured lady. I now sat by the torn tarpaulin and was soaked to my skin.
“When the rain stopped at Sagamu, a lady now had an Asthmatic attack. One man was arguing with her. That its epilepsy. Come and see panic. Driver no gree stop. That he was supposed to drop the newspapers by 4am. But finally stopped.
“On arrival I was smelling like a he-goat, because of my #HausaWallet that was soaked in the rain.
“This story is long. But the important thing is that while I was in Lagos performing there was a riot in BENSU, Ekpoma, as there was across the country. And there was so much destruction and damage to school properties. Even I, that was in Lagos, had to pay for all the damages in a Riot I did not take part in.
“Trust me, whether you were part of it or not, you will pay the damages. And in this Buhari regime… e go pain you wellemly.”
REACTING to the collapse of the Lagos Island building which killed and injured some primary school pupils on Wednesday, comedian Alibaba has condoled with the family of the victims, adding, regrettably that, Nigerians create problems for each other.
Posting a picture of a collapsed building on his Instagram account, Alibaba said he ignored saying anything about the incident till he was prodded by someone. He then went into a litany of ways whereby fellow Nigerians condone bad behaviour to the eventual detriment of each other.
“Someone sent me a message asking why I have not said anything about this Lagos Island building collapse, since yesterday… I ignored it,” he wrote.
“My condolences to all the families who lost loved ones and properties. God will console you. But just to avoid being considered insensitive, let me say this, we are our own problems. If Lagos State Government marked that building for demolition and actually went through with the demolition, many of the people going emotional and getting angry about the non-demolition now would have been the same persons calling out the government for being insensitive to the plight of the poor.
“How can they break down a school because they believe the integrity of the structure is suspect? Close a road for repairs, you will hear people shout. Clamp down on commercial drivers without prerequisite certification, NURTW will go on strike. Try to weed out the teachers in our schools who need to be taught, NUT will go on strike. Query a Chief Judge who cannot explain the source of monies that cannot be from his salary, it is called a witch hunt. Arrest buses for indiscriminate parking anywhere but the bus stop, it’s oppression of the masses.
“People will throw dirt and refuse into drainage and complain of flooding. Ask a young man with no means of livelihood driving a range rover, it’s oppression of the youths. Stop a man who is driving with a child in the front seat, they will ask you is it your job? Stop someone driving against one way, they will say, just let him go. Posted a video of 2 Soldiers riding an okada without helmets, and the question some were asking was how much do the soldiers paid?
“How many times have we complained of tankers on the bridge? How many engineers have been punished and licenses withdrawn? How many properties have Been seized? How much compensation has been paid? How many of such structures are insured? What is the Institute of Quantity surveyors doing about these issues? What do I know Sef? Shebi I am just a comedian?”
Fresh after hosting his signature January 1st Concert on January 1, ace comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, has said he would be releasing a book, where he would talk about his first experiences.
Taking to Instagram, the comedian who is more popularly known as Alibaba said the book which would be published by Toni Kan with forward written by former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku would detail his various first experiences with people, things and places.
“When was the first time you boarded an aeroplane?” the 53 year old comedian asked.
“When did you step into an elevator for the first time? Which was your first overseas’ trip? First ride in a London double decker bus? First time to see the Eiffel Tower? First rented apartment? When was your first heart break? When did you first have a taste of alcohol? First night in a 5 star hotel? First time on a horse? First love?…
“You see, most of these FIRSTS, that we dont take cognisance of, signpost our life’s journey. They are a pat on the back… when you really take a look at them. Because there are many people who are yet to do what you have done. It’s done for you, but on the bucket list of another person. So, I thought why not create a journal, that can help you do that, without stress. Introducing ##AlibabasMyBookOfFirsts. The foreward was written by, H.E Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Head of the Commonwealth.”
With his belief that comedy is serious business, Alibaba who has worked as a comedian for about three decades, has also taken to acting. So far, he has starred in movies such as My Guy, The Last 3 Digits, Head Gone, The Wedding Party and Alakada.
From the early nineteenth century to the early twentieth century, Western countries attributed their economic growth to the discoveries of “scientists and navigators.” A country needed only the “zeal” to develop “obvious” commercial applications, and build the facilities to meet demand for new products.
Until recently, the Chinese believed the same thing. But now, Chinese business people and entrepreneurs are increasingly showing not only the entrepreneurial drive to adapt to new opportunities, but also the desire and capacity to innovate for themselves, rather than simply copying what’s already out there.
Indeed, more and more Chinese companies are realizing that they must innovate in order to get – and stay – ahead in the global economy. Several companies – notably Alibaba, Baidu, and Tencent – made breakthroughs, by offering digital-age infrastructure that facilitates innovative activity. And industrial firms have recently moved into robots and artificial intelligence.
Tencent’s rise
For its part, China’s government is evidently supportive of Chinese businesses developing a capacity to produce indigenous innovations. It no doubt recognizes that such innovations are all the more valuable when innovation remains weak in the West, where growth in total factor productivity ( TFP ) has continued its long slowdown.
In recent years, China’s government has introduced initiatives aimed at increasing both entrepreneurship and innovation. It has shortened dramatically the process for forming a new company. It has built a vast number of schools, where Chinese children learn more about the world they will face.
And it recently facilitated the entry of foreign experts to work on new projects in the business sector.
The authorities have also recognized the importance of allowing more competition in the economy. Individuals should be freed up to start new companies, and existing companies should be freed up to enter new industries. Competition solves a lot of problems – a point that is increasingly lost on the West.
At the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January, Chinese officials discussed basic reforms that the government introduced two years ago to increase competition. Under the new policy, excess capacity now signals that supply should be allowed to contract and prompt redundant firms to exit the market. Of course, excess demand signals that supply should be allowed to increase, leading to the entry of new firms.
The key insight is that when existing enterprises are protected from new market entrants bearing new ideas, the result will be less innovation and less “adaptation” to a changing world, to use Friedrich Hayek’sterm.
Another argument can be made. In any modern economy, virtually every industry operates in the face of a largely unknowable future. The more companies an industry has thinking about a problem, the more likely a solution is to be found. A company that has been kept out of an industry might know something that all the companies in the industry do not. Or some unique experience may have furnished an individual with “personal knowledge” that is impossible to transmit to others who have not had the same experience. Whatever the case, society benefits – through lower prices, more jobs, better products and services, and so forth – when outsiders with something to add are free to do so.
All of this was known to the great theorists of the 1920s and 1930s: Hayek, Frank Knight, and John Maynard Keynes. And now it is known to the Chinese, who understand that a country benefits when companies – each with its own thinking and knowledge – are free to compete.
The West seems to have forgotten this. Since the 1930s, most Western governments have seen it as their duty to protect established enterprises from competition, even when it comes from new firms offering new adaptations or innovations. These protections, which come in myriad forms, have almost certainly discouraged many entrepreneurs from coming forward with new and better ideas.
History is rife with evidence of the value of competition. In post-war Britain, into the 1970s, industries were controlled by exclusive clubs within the Confederation of British Industry, which barred new entrants. By the time Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, TFP had stagnated. But Thatcher put a stop to the Confederation’s anti-competitive practices, and Britain’s TFP was growing again by the mid-1980s.
We are now seeing something similar in China. By 2016, China’s TFP growth rate had been slowing for a number of years. But since the reforms that year, it has been increasing.
The West must address its great TFP slowdown, which has lasted since the late 1960s. Ending protection of incumbents from new entrants possessing ideas for new adaptions and innovations is a good place to start.
NIGERIAN entertainer, Koffi Tha Guru, has releases his much anticipated 13th studio album titled ‘Colourborations’.
According to the comedian, actor and singer; ”it has been months of pushing and laboring, finally we can say we have put forth a baby full of colours. Over 50 featured acts adding their own shade of awesomeness to one album. Yes, it’s that massive. Colourborations is the biggest project I have worked on till date.”
Speaking further on the album, Koffi said ”Music has never been this beautiful, that, I can assure you. The Colourborations album begins with the legendary Disc Jockey, DJ Jimmy Jatt taking the intro, Asa doing the outro, MI Abaga rapping in Hausa; this is the only song he has ever done that, Alibaba singing Calypso, Bouqui and the late Fatai Rolling Dollars doing Gospel, Small Doctor and Q-dot bringing homely flows, Kunle Bello going on a Togolese ride with me; these are just a few out of the many pleasant surprises this album is offering,” he said.
Colourborations which is arguably the biggest collaborative effort by any entertainer in Africa also sees Koffi pull a surprise jazzy funk track with Russian Diva, Diana Bada.
The 34-track album which features other top entertainers like Sir Shina Peters, Ras Kimono, Paul Play, Ruggedman, Bovi, Sound Sultan, Big Lo, Sunny Neji, 9ice, Ikpa Udo, Chigul, Omobaba, Mc Abbey, Maleke, Obadice, Terry Apala, Ashny, Immaculate Edache, EmmaOhMaGod, Woli Arole, Tolu Ajayi, Classiq, Sossick, and Josh2funny, is currently available on all paid music platform.
PRODUCERS of box office hits, ’30 Days in Atlanta’, ‘A Trip to Jamaica’ and ’10 days in Sun City’, have unveiled their December offering, titled ‘The Accidental Spy’.
Described as intriguing and comedy-filled, the movie is a co-production of Peekaboo Productions and Corporate World Entertainment. It was shot on location in Lagos, London and Amsterdam, and is set to hit cinemas across Nigeria from December 1, 2017.
‘The Accidental Spy’ tells the story of IT specialist, Emmanuel Prince, who gets blindsided by his cheating girlfriend. When Prince travels to London and signs up for a reality show to take his mind off his recent woes, he unwittingly gets caught in the middle of a plot by a powerful Nigerian criminal cartel.
The movie features a multi-continent and diversely talented cast AY, Ramsey Nouah, Alibaba, Emma Oh My God, Rahama Sadau, David Jones David, Bucci Franklin, Bryan Okwara, Hollywood actor, Miguel Nunez Jr. (Juwana Man), South African star, Thenjiwe Moseley (10 Days In Sun City), and British debutante, Christine Allado, to name a few.
Lead writer and producer of the movie, Darlington Abuda describes ‘The Accidental Spy’ as a labour of love.
“I can’t think of a better way to enter the December festive season. I am indeed elated by the fact that movie-lovers across Nigeria and in various other territories are going to enjoy this potpourri of love, laughter and action. We shot the movie with the mindset of giving Nigerians an awesome cinematic experience. I’ve always wanted to make a film in London. It’s obviously one of the great cities of the world, and when you make a film in a foreign city you get a chance to really experience and imbibe their culture,” he said.
