I wish to perform inside a prison -Senator Comedian

Bethel Njoku aka Senator is one of the most creative standup comedians in Nigeria. A graduate of theatre arts, Senator is also an actor and a radio anchor, a passion he started with Raypower Fm Jos. He spoke more in this chat with ORJI ONYEKWERE.

Tell us more about your programme on DSTV, ‘Laugh Out Loud’.

It’s a universal branded show because it was a franchise Amazon brought to Nigeria. It didn’t start in Nigeria. It’s one of those franchises that Amazon has the right to, having moved to Nigeria as a network, they decided to try it out because here they know that comedy has greater appeal.

It’s a reality game show series but Amazon administratively are no longer fully here. They started the second season only for them to leave Nigeria. By now the second season would have continued.

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What is happening to your acting career?

I studied Theatre Arts at the University of Jos. So, acting is a basic for me. But when I moved to Lagos, I didn’t really start with acting, I started with standup comedy, MC and acting. I try to strike the balance, that’s why I have been off and on. Then selection of scripts. It’s not every movie that you engage in; it must also fall within the confines of what you believe in. After a while I went into contract with Basketmouth to be part of Flatmates, the sitcom series. That has been more engaging.

On the radio talk show, ”It’s OK with Okey, you are always attacking Dan D Humourous. What’s your relationship with him?

Dan happens to be one of the apprenticeship guys under Julius Agwu. I, Dan D Humourous, Funny Bone and Osama, the comedian in Jos. Then we used to be under the mentorship of Julius Agwu. We have come a long way and Dan is an easy going person, his life alone is even comedy and I always use that to pick on him. They know me as a very spontaneous person and I keep a lot of information in my head. So, some of the things we laugh about off stage, I have those records, it’s just friendship and the environment is cordial.

Comedy skits on social media is the in-thing now and this is knocking out jobs for you people. How are you coping with the current trend?

I can’t talk for everybody but for myself. Right from the days I made the decision to be a performing act, I have always known the arts hangs around environment, changes and time. I knew before now that other elements of comedy will. If you trace it to other developed countries you will see that there are different elements of comedy and different levels of arts in terms of entertainment. It visited Nigeria and so it was new to the Nigerian setting but not new to me because I knew we will definitely get there as we advance in the pursuit for development, you will still see people trying to adjust.

Remember back in the days, we used to have night of a thousand laugh on DVD being sold in traffic but as time advanced, technology brought us to the level where we now spend more time with our phones and that particular act started changing and we started utilising the social media.

It gave room to other people creating their own content on that social media space. It has brought up a lot of people shooting skits and doing rants, podcast. If you are diversified, some of these things will not really mean anything to you because if you are not earning from doing standup comedy, you should be earning from MC job. So you must be doing one.

Anybody who feels standup comedy is being threatened should follow up to align with the current trend. I also have my various channels where I put up contents on the social media to make earnings from YouTube and Facebook. If you cannot beat them, you join them.

Why did you choose the name Senator and have you been challenged by any elected Senator for choosing that name?

I get a lot of taggings on the social media. Some even insult me that we have spoilt Nigeria etc. But that’s the cross we must bear. I chose the name Senator early 2000. I remember those days when the Fourth Republic came on board and Obasanjo took over. So, anytime I see those Senators attend an event, there used to be serious fight then and I said since these men are representative of the society I will be seen as a representative of humour.

Have you been challenged by any politician?

Yes. A couple of times. The former Senator of the FCT Senator Phillip Aduda, I used to be one of his communication agents because I have done adverts and jingles for his election and re-election. Back then, he used to call me Senator with a small ‘s’. I remember I anchored an event so many years ago when Ike Ekweremadu used to be the Deputy Senate President. I anchored a function where he was invited with a couple of other Senators.

At the end of the event, it was time for vote of thanks and when he came, he said he wants to specially appreciate his younger colleague with a small ‘s’.

Again when I had an engagement with Emeka Ihedioha former governor of Imo State.

What has been your biggest trial as a comedian?

Majorly arts cannot thrive without environment, government and policy. As the policy and the economy changes, it also affects the comedian. Before now, when the economy was thriving, you get a lot of engagement, performances and events that you anchor and perform. But now, companies are cutting down their staff, training their content and some are even leaving Nigeria. For instance, if 800 companies left during Buhari’s time, you would imagine how it could have impacted on our own sector

You also have the challenges of people now recycling jokes, something that is still very weak around here. We don’t have those kind of structures because we don’t have strong association for standup comedy. You see a situation where we trivialise what we are doing because every drinking bar you go, you see a standup comedian. By the time you have event at maybe Eko Hotel, you will tell someone this same people you are going to meet, I met them in Surulere last week at Ojez where we were drinking. You can now see how we are gradually bringing down the prestige of this art. So, every profession has its own challenges.

You have not been organising shows like your colleagues. Is it a choice you made or because of lack of funding?

No. It has nothing to do with funding or patronage. My first comedy show in Lagos was in 2017 and I did another one in the United Kingdom in 2018. I am the first Nigerian comedian to run a tour of six cities in the UK. It’s about choice of action because I have not had that kind of freedom to engage in show. I am not the type that believes that every year you must do shows because if you continue like that you will wear out.

Secondly, it’s also important that you give people time to recover from what you have given them. I have done two UK tours that is in 2018 and 2021 and I will do another one in October this year. I did one in Muson Centre in 2017. I was thinking of doing a show this year but the look of the economy is not encouraging.

While I was in Jos, I had three – four shows before moving back to Lagos. We are not scared of organising shows because we have what it takes and the audience that are ready to patronise us.

Is there any category of audience you have not performed for, maybe Presidents or Prime Ministers?

None. I have performed before personalities. I have been to Aso Rock twice. The current Senate President I have performed in his state twice when he was the governor. I think where I will love to perform maybe the prisons. I have never been to the prison before. Somebody like Baskethmouth has been to the prison to perform for the prisoners. They also do entertainment activities in the prison. I am saying not like I have been to the prison. I have been to the hospital to perform before.

International I have performed in America and I have hosted my show in America. I have done three in the UK, two in America, one in Lagos and a couple of them in Jos. Participation is not a problem.

There are other successful entertainers from Jos like P Square, Dan D Humourous, MI Abaga, Funny Bone and Jessy Jags among others.

The thing about entertainers from Jos, has to do with passion. We don’t practice for money but for the passion, which is the difference between the Jos and the Lagos entertainers. If you are engaging Lagos entertainers, they will ask you how much is your budget but the Jos person will ask you the details of your work, he might not even remember to ask for money until you say, ‘okay how much are you charging? Again you know they are on the fast lane.

Those of us you mentioned that is why we are different. In fact, yesterday I went to Ice Prince’s album launch. We are very communal in our activities.

Do you have a forum where you discuss your issues?

No. We don’t have a formal forum but the passion to work and to be brothers is always there any moment we meet. If I am in a circle where I have Funny Bone and MC Shakara in Lagos and other people are there, I will first make excuses for these other people because all of us were groomed in Jos. We have that connection and bond. When the chips are down, we know how to engage ourselves.

When did it dawned on you that comedy is your passion and that is what will put food on the table?

I talked about passion to study the art which gave birth to passion to do standup comedy. Back in those days when I was in secondary school, during holidays I used to go to the University of Jos, Theatre Arts Department and I used to watch Ireti Doyle, she was in the same class with my brother.

I used to watch them rehearse, in fact, there was a day they were doing rehearsal and one of the classmates who was supposed to come and drum for them did not come. So, he told them that I, his younger brother, can drum and they said okay, let him drum for this rehearsal. I drummed for them for a couple of times and all of a sudden I became a part of them. So, that gave me the drive and passion to study and I later applied for diploma to read Theatre Arts in the University of Jos, before I went to do a degree in Theatre Arts .

While in school there are activities that take place among us theatre arts students, which is called Nigerian Universities Theatre Arts Festival. In one of those engagements I came in contact with some of my colleagues who were ahead of me, a guy called Michael Obolo, a comedian in Port Harcourt. A couple of times, we just crack each other up and he was like, why are you not a comedian and I told him; I can’t do it. But he encouraged me and said I have the potential and that I have a very strong drive for narration.

I didn’t take it seriously until a mentor of mine, I think he is a special adviser in Nasarawa State, Yakubu Labi, got me into anchoring an event as an MC because he is a very good master of ceremony and he used to work in a radio station in Jos then.

So, he will always give me some of those events he could not attend that I should go and stand in for him. While that was going on, he now called me and said, ‘the places I have sent you to, they say you have a very good sense of humour and they seem to be calling you even after you have stood in for me. Why don’t you marry these two that is MC and comedy’. That was when I bought the idea, given that Michael Obolo too have spoken about it, I started off and the rest is history.

Why did you guys choose the name Wise Men of Comedy?

The name Wise Men of Comedy was given by the listeners. We never thought we will addressed by such name. The show belongs to Okey Macanthony Onyegbule aka Okey Bakassi, who happens to be a close friend of Chris Obosi, the owner of the station.

Chris asked him to do a programme that will be engaging and he reached out to me knowing that I have a radio background having worked in Raypower Fm, Jos, Plateau State because I was among the pioneer staff there. I told him I don’t want to go through the same experience I did in Raypower where I was owed, he said we will be paid based on the advert we get for the programme. He now called Acapella and told him he wants him to join the team. Then Acapella was already doing something with De Don, another comedian on Rainbow FM.

I and Okey started off the programme and we started having followership. I remember Dan visiting Lagos a couple of times and he reached out to me that he will like to be part of it and I told him the show belongs to Okey Bakassi. On one of the shows, I was left alone and Dan was in Lagos a couple of times from Port Harcourt and I told him to cover up since Okey was not around. Okey had travelled to Canada and Acapella went to USA. Before Okey could stay three weeks in Canada and come back, people were already commending Dan and he had won the hearts of the people.

When Okey came around I asked Dan not to come again since Okey is back. So people started asking of Dan on the show and Okey was like, how did Dan perform? I said he did well and so he now engaged Dan and that’s how we became four and the people started calling us Four Wise Men. We always discuss intellectual issues in a hilarious and comic way. We discuss serious issues in an unserious manner.

QUOTE:

The thing about entertainers from Jos has to do with passion. We don’t practice for money but for the passion.