The First Comedian In Nigeria.

March 6, 2025
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The First Comedian In Nigeria.

I grew up in the 80’s when the black and white TV was in use in Nigeria and the interesting TV series were predominantly that of the white people.
I was in love with a TV series called “Vultron”, where a white police man will go around trying to arrest those who were committing crimes. But the only TV series our parents allowed us to watch was Tom and Jerry which was a cartoon for kids.
But as the years would go by, Nigeria will catapult to watching color Television and before we know our own people started TV series that would span decades and pave way for so many people to become rich.
Today, we can see how social media is flooded with too many comedy skits made by successful comedians from Nigeria who cease every opportunity to flaunt the wealth they have been able to make from comedy.
But before we celebrate the success of comedy skits in Nigeria, we must never forget the fact that there was somebody who sacrificed a lot to make it come to stay here in Nigeria.
Now permit me to remind you that doing something which is not done by others will always pose a great challenge because viewers will not take you that serious, and if you do not have a persistent spirit, you are soon going to give up.
This then is the main reason why we must always cease every opportunity to acknowledge those who stood in the fore-front of anything and achieved the success that would later benefit those who will toe the same line.
In this article therefore, we are going to pay homage to the first Nigerian who defied all odds and make comedy really come to stay.

Who is the first Nigerian comedian?

The first Nigerian comedian is Baba Sala who was born Moses Olaiya  on 18th May 1936 and died on 7th October 2018. Aside from being a comedian, he was also a successful actor and filmmaker who was relevant in the Nigerian entertainment industry from the 1960’s to the 2000’s.

Baba Sala was from Ijebu-Ode, a Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, and he partnered with other dramatists like Hubert Ogunde, Kola Ogunmola, Oyin Adejobi and Duro Ladipo to make theater and television act became prominent in Nigeria.

Significantly, Baba began his entertainment career as a musician and belonged to a band known as “Federal Rhythm Dandies” in 1964, where the successful Nigerian Fuji musician, King Sunny Ade was his lead guitarist and enjoyed his mentorship.

But the group did not bring him the needed success, so he switched from music to acting where he was able to stage dramatic plays following the footsteps of those who were before him, notably Ogunde and Ladipo.

But having the passion to do something different from his predecessors, Olaiya switched to comedy and founded a group which was known back in those days as Alawada group.

The group had their big break in 1065 when they won a contest organized by Western Nigeria Television which led to the creation of a TV show. Afterwards, the group became very popular when their comedy skits were aired and promoted on WNTV.

While in the group, Olaiya will play the character “Baba Sala’, who was a pensioner that wore torn and oversized trousers and used a table clock as a wrist watch. This character therefore earned him the name “Baba Sala” we come to know today.

Becoming successful in comedy will make Baba Sala take a shot at acting and producing Nigerian movies like “Orun Mooru” in 1982 hwhen I was born and “Aare Agbaye” in 1983 when I was just a year old.

As everything in llife that has a beginning must have an end, Baba Sala got ill at a ripe old age and in October 2018 he bowed out of life after achieving so much success in the Nigerian comedy industry.

Following his death, Best of Nollywood Magazine would announce that the category “comedy of the year” will now be known as “Moses Adejumo Comedy of the Year” in honor of Baba Sala for his contribution to the Nigerian comedy industry.

So whatever success you are seeking to achieve or have already achieved as a comedian, always remember that Baba Sala was the man who helped to lay the foundation for the modern Nigerian comedy industry, which has produced many successful comedians, like Ali Baba, who is known as the richest comedian today as well as Basket Mouth, Bovi, AY and the rest.
Below is a record of his filmography:
  • Orun Mooru (1982)
  • Aare Agbaye (1983)
  • Mosebolatan (1985)
  • Obee Gbona (1989)
  • Diamond (1990 Home video )
  • Agba Man (1992, Home Video)
  • Return Match (1993, Home Video)
  • Ana Gomina (1996, home video, )
  • Tokunbo (1985, TV)
Comedy Skits