Comedy shows in Nigeria have been described as a gold mine, but they are yet to reach their full potential as most Nigerians have not fully utilized their range of benefits.

This is how Babatunde Ojobaro, popularly known as Mister Rain, saw in a chat with journalists. He revealed that as a multi-talented individual, he had always believed that talent goes far beyond what it looks like.

“Comedy shows have achieved a very big milestone in the last decade and the improvement cannot be ignored. I feel that these styles of comedy – satire, farce, parody and slapstick are the most popular and have been explored quite a bit and to be honest have they worked for the people who have used any of them all in their standup comedy style.

“Other styles of comedy like humor comedy, classic comedy, comedy of errors, romantic comedy and a few others are better suited to TV, drama and movies than stand-up comedy,” he said.

Ojobaro revealed that as a comedian, he believes comedy is more than just making people laugh. “One of my favorite quotes is that ‘If you can make them laugh, you can get their attention, and if you can get their attention, you can tell them anything.’

“I think there is so much that can be done with the opportunity to have many people listening to you at the same time. I am passionate about capacity building, social change, community development and anything that encourages personal and communal growth and performing comedy on a regular show where you only get five to 10 minutes, doesn’t give me enough time to really preach my message while making people laugh.

“I decided to curate my comedy show, which will give me enough time to make them laugh while touching on issues that can preach my ideals that generally address the essence of personal and communal growth.

“I also wanted to do something out of the ordinary, something that will challenge me to give my whole self to my craft and performance and then I feel like doing what allows me to serve my niche audience and clients in a satisfactory way,” he said.

Ojobaro, who stressed that every endeavor has its own challenges, said that in the case of one-man comedy, the challenge comes with changing the narratives.

“People are used to comedy shows with different comedians, which is not bad at all and sometimes it feels good for their time and money, compared to just coming to sit down for just one person who is not even a popular figure in that sense. Having to convince people to choose a one-man comedy show for a fee that can get them to another comedy show with a variety of comedians is a first class challenge.

“The other challenge would be to get your guest’s full attention as the only comedian for the advertised duration. You have to earn variety as an individual; it’s a lot of hard work, but with a track record of five successful one-man comedy shows, that challenge has been mastered and overcome.

He encouraged his colleagues to embrace one-man comedy, when it comes to stand-up comedy, saying it’s a litmus test, not necessarily for how good the person is, but a test in the truest sense. “It paints you as a comedian in a more brilliant light. It can also test how popular or not you are among many other things.”

While noting that comedy is already an export for Nigeria, he said: “I can name many comedians who have put Nigeria’s comedy scene on the international map. It could be better than it is now, but it is already an export.

Speaking on his journey as an entertainer, he said: “I started as a dancer. Danced for fun and entertained people as a very young boy, then started acting and comedy at university as far back as 2003, and then I combined all three. It actually became so serious after my first graduation.I had to take JAMB again to study theater arts and I have never looked back since then.As a radio presenter, film actor, theater director and producer, stand-up comedian, I’d cumulatively say I’ve been in entertainment for more than 20 years (this includes my years at university).

Ojobaro said he believes anyone who does something wants to either be the best at it or get due recognition or just be in that space where a lot of people can count on your work.

“Sometimes when it’s not happening either as quickly as you want or as big, you can start to worry but then again there’s a lot of other talent pushing for the same thing. The knock-on effect of this is that when you’re not at that stage yet, it can become a big thing to get funding and sponsorship and it can hinder personal projects and stuff if you’re not even careful it can hinder growth and I thought it was a very big challenge for a long time but not anymore.

“I know everyone can’t be an RMD or an Ali Baba, but you can create your niche, build your own customer and audience base, start nurturing and serving them satisfactorily and that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few years .

“As a comedian, I’m not as popular as most comedians, but all my stand-up comedy shows are usually sold out weeks before the show. I don’t know how many comedians can do a one-man comedy show in October and November of the same year in the same city, charge different fees per show and still sell out the auditorium for both shows, but I did it.

“As an actor, especially for stage and theatre, my performances are also usually sold out. A very recent example is my participation in the Lagos International Theater Festival and even the Lagos Fringe, the play “Vem Tif Mona Lisa?” When I was there as an actor was a great success.

“So the idea is that I don’t want to rule the world; I want to rule my world, and that’s how I can constantly overcome the challenges.”