In an episode of The Honest Bunch Podcast’s Christmas edition, renowned Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, widely known as Alibaba, shared a poignant chapter from his life, detailing the profound fallout with his father that spanned a decade.
The estrangement stemmed from Alibaba’s decision to pursue a career in comedy instead of following the path of becoming a lawyer, a choice that left his father deeply disappointed.
Alibaba reflected on the pivotal moment when he informed his father about his decision, recounting the tense conversation with his dad. “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.’”
The veteran comedian continued, “He asked, ‘Comedy like what?’ I said, ‘Like cracking jokes.’” The revelation sparked a disapproving reaction from his father, who promptly summoned Alibaba’s uncle to address the situation.
According to Alibaba, his uncle sided with his father, expressing disappointment in his decision to forego a legal career. The gravity of the situation led Alibaba to take a drastic step. “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.”
During this period of estrangement, Alibaba was determined to prove his father wrong and succeed as a comedian. He made several attempts to reconcile with his father, but the efforts were met with resistance.