Okey Bakassi is one of Nigeria’s biggest comedians. At an event on the Island recently, he chatted with YES INTERNATIONAL! Magazine’s FEYISAYO TEJUOSHO. Excerpts…
What makes a good comedian?
Creativity, spontaneity, showmanship.
Apart from the things you listed, do you think talent is also key for a comedian?
Why I didn’t mention talent is that first of all, it is assumed that you have the talent for what you want to do. So, now, I am talking about qualities that will embellish that talent. Why would you want to go into a field that you don’t have the talent? The assumption is that you already have the talent for it. And these are the qualities that would make you more successful and stand you out.
What do you think makes a good joke?
What makes a good joke is how intense the punchline is, the ability of the deliverer of the joke to bring it to life. That is to deliver it in such a way that by the time you get to your punchline, whoever is listening to it in the audience does not have to ask anybody, “Wetin him talk?”
So, what has comedy done for you?
Comedy has done quite a lot. It has made me a very happy man; the goodwill that has come from it can’t be quantified. In terms of material things, it has also been very rewarding.
What has comedy not done for you?
I think whatever comedy has not done, comedy is not designed to do. It is not everything your profession or career will do for you in your life. There are some things that you will have to individually do for yourself. Any other thing it has not done, that means it is not for comedy to do it for me. Like salvation is not something comedy would bring for you, it is your personal effort towards exercising your faith and getting close to your Creator.
What would you say distinguishes you from the other comedians?
To me, it’s my originality, because I’m sure if you hear Okey Bakassi anywhere, you would know it’s Okey Bakassi performing. It’s unique, distinct, it’s just Okey Bakassi the way nobody else can do it.
You spoke about faith and salvation, what’s your faith like?
I’m a Christian, a very strong Christian at that, and I don’t joke with my faith at all. You know God has been very good to me, to my family and to my career.
About family; can you share a brief story of your family?
Yes, in fact, the biggest thing in my life is my family because without them, I don’t think I will even find the drive to do the things that I do. They are the reason I wake up and go to work. I am happily married to my wife and friend for almost a life time, Ezinne. We are blessed with three wonderful kids; Chidera is fourteen, Feechi is twelve and Chetanna will be turning eight in December.
God has been nice to you. What is that one thing you want Him to still do for you?
One thing I want God to do for me is to keep me healthy, strong till my kids are all married and settled in life. I just want to be part of their lives till everybody is settled and to see my grandchildren.
Looking back, do you recollect any decision or step you took towards your career that you regret?
I am not one to regret. That is not how I am configured. I know people make mistakes and mistakes exist so that you will learn ways of not getting things done. So, I don’t see them as regrets. I am very meticulous in decision making. I don’t jump into stuff, I think them through. The reason is that if in the process of doing that I make any mistake, I know I am learning how not to get it done.
What do you think was the wisest decision you ever made towards your career?
One of the wisest decisions I made towards my career, to be very honest, is to marry the person that I married. It sounds strange, but sometimes the choice of partner can affect your career. So, to marry who I married is one of the wisest decisions I made career-wise because I don’t think I would have still been in the business 22 years and counting if not for the kind of support I have.
What is your dream for the future, what is the dream for Okey Bakassi in the future?
My dream first of all is to stay healthy, stay relevant, because it is when you are alive and still relevant that other things can be added onto it. I want to be able to transfer the knowledge and experience that I have to other people so that they can sustain this wonderful business. So, I want to be able to lay a solid foundation, not just for other people, but also for my immediate family so that they don’t get to a point in life where they start thinking that all this effort that dad put in, where is it?
Did you always know you would be a comedian or it was something you just found yourself doing?
When I was growing up, it wasn’t a big profession in Nigeria. So, I couldn’t have thought about it. If I said that, I would be lying. I went through different phases of my life, like any normal kid. I had a phase where my burning desire was to be a medical doctor, to a point where I wanted to serve in the military. In fact, the combination of both is that I wanted to serve in the military as a doctor. Then, when it looked like it was slipping away, I became an engineer with a passion to actually practice engineering. But I guess showbiz had a stronger pull and I ended up in show business.
Tell us about your educational background.
I finished from Federal Government College, Port Harcourt. From there, I went to the Rivers State University of Science and Technology in Port-Harcourt as well. After that, I came to Lagos to serve my father land.