My Father Didn’t Talk To Me For 10 Years Because I Chose Comedy Over Law – Alibaba

Veteran Nigerian comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, has opened up about his relationship with his father.

During the Christmas edition of The Honest Bunch Podcast, Alibaba disclosed that his father harbored resentment for ten years because he chose a career in comedy instead of becoming a lawyer.

The comedian recounted how he left university to inform his father about his decision to pursue comedy, only to be met with disapproval that led him to leave home.

Despite facing opposition, Alibaba was determined to succeed in comedy to prove his father wrong.

He said, “My dad is a bookworm. He got his PhD at 86. I told him, I said, ‘Daddy, I came from school to tell you something.’ He said, ‘Okay, have you been rusticated?’ I said, ‘No. I’ve decided that I don’t want to read law. I want to do comedy.’

“He asked, ‘Comedy like what?’ I said, ‘Like cracking jokes.’ He laughed and asked my younger brother to call my uncle who lived close by. When my uncle came, he asked what the matter was and I said I don’t want to read law again that I want to do comedy.

“He said that means I’ve found another father, stressing that I can’t be part of the family and won’t read law. He said all the money my dad spent on me was wasted. He told my dad to handle the situation and left.

The comedian went on to explain the strained relationship with his father, spanning from 1988 to 1998, during which they didn’t talk. Alibaba made efforts to reach out during this period, but his father resisted.

He said, “I knew I couldn’t sleep in that house because my dad would beat me. So as my uncle was going out, I followed him to lock the burglary and I didn’t go back in. And my dad and I didn’t talk from 1988 – 1998. Ten years. I tried to reach out to him. I went one time to talk to him but he didn’t want to see me.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Alibaba remained committed to his chosen path, using the adversity as motivation to become a successful comedian.

“This was the thing. So people ask, ‘Where did you get the inspiration to become a great comedian?’ I was committed. I was like I want to prove him [my Dad] wrong,” he added.

KanyiDaily recalls that Alibaba revealed that his colleagues, Basketmouth and AY Makun lived in his house when they were just starting their careers.