Sag? never, i’m not a prisoner –Omobaba
Popular comedian, Omobaba, tells ‘Nonye Ben-Nwankwo about
his style and fashion
We learnt you have a comedy club?
Yes, it is a comedy club where people just come and laugh. It is
called Unknot your Tie. We brought this idea because we
discovered so many people are stressed even from the way they
drive on the roads. It is mainly targeted at the working class. It
is a three-hour of comedy.
How have you been able to remain in the system when some others
have ‘retired’ or resigned?
It has been God all the way and of course, personal
development. I have not given up my talent. The inflow of
untalented or lazy comedians who are not able to develop their
own materials might just discourage you. But then, I got into
comedy because of the love I have for it. That is the reason I am
still in the business. Nigeria is a funny place; you can never run
out of jokes. No matter the number of lazy comedians that
come and steal your jokes, it shouldn’t stop you from standing
tall and fighting your battles. That was part of the reason I
conceived Unknot your Tie in order to encourage the younger
ones to try and be original and give them the platform to express
themselves.
Are there times you feel you are in the wrong profession?
It is just like getting married and asking yourself one day why
you are in that marriage. But that doesn’t mean you would just
pack your things and leave. Every occupation has its hazards.
Our headache is people who are not original. When I look back
and count my blessings, I see that I am not in the wrong
profession.
You have metamorphosed in your profession and it is also evident
in the way you dress. Could it also be the gains from comedy? We
remember you weren’t among the good dressers back in the days…
Actually, the dressing most people still talk about should be
what I wore when I first came up and that was during a Night of
a Thousand Laugh show. That was when I was trying to express
my creativity. Then, it was a designer that made that outfit for
me. But later on, I started designing my outfits. I don’t do the
sewing but I do the sketching. As you grow older, the trend
changes. Everybody knows that with the money you make, you
just have to look good.
Do you have an ideology of fashion?
Oh yes. My ideology is you should dress the way you want to be
addressed. It is simple as that. The carriage I have when I wear
suit is not the same I have when I wear agbada or when I wear
casuals. We have come of age and we just have to wear what
makes a statement. It is not all about jokes. The younger ones
want to be like you and the children are also watching you.
Would you say you are stylish?
I am stylish but I am not noisy. It might take a little while for an
onlooker to notice the way you are dressed and when he/she
does, the person would say wow! They may not also notice
quickly because they know I always say I am ugly. Most people
already have that in their head.
Talking about yourt looks, are there times you wish you were better
looking?
You needed to have seen me when I was a little boy. This
country is so frustrating and can change your looks. Try staying
in the UK for more than three years and come back to Nigeria
and look for a job for a year. Do you think you would still look as
fresh as you did when you were in the UK? But I don’t even
regret how I look. I don’t feel bad about it. By the way, it has
been my style for survival. I always look at the brighter side of
life and not thinking back and having regrets. All I know is that I
look good.
But why do you still tell everybody that you are ugly, especially
when you are cracking jokes?
When I came into the industry, I discovered that most of the
comedians indulged in self-praise. I was coming into a market
that I was going to sell a product that people would need to
purchase. I wanted to stand out. So I needed to give people
what they would remember. That is why some people still call
me ‘ Fineboy’ others call me ‘Sexy’ while some others call me
‘Wor Wor’. I also don’t like picking on my crowd. I have so many
jokes to crack rather than picking on the guests. I would rather
‘yab’ myself.
Is it because of the way you look that you dress well in order to
take attention off your face?
No. I look good. I have a very good complexion. I am a creative
person and I like colours. I work with people who are good in
fashion. I believe in proudly Nigerian products. Sometimes,
people see me and think I bought all I’m wearing abroad but I
would take extra minute to tell them about my designer. I take
extra care to look good and not when somebody sees me, the
person would feel I have come to beg him for anything.
Are you saying you don’t buy things abroad?
Somebody sits down in Nigeria and makes things better than
what we can even get abroad so why wouldn’t I patronise the
person when it can also help improve our economy? I love our
made in Nigeria products. However, there are fashion items we
are yet to get right especially wristwatches and belts. I also
have a couple of made in Nigeria shoes and people still scream
wow anytime I wear a pair.
Have you considered doing cosmetic surgery in order to look better
than you look now?
Never! I am a fine boy. I am really fine. I won’t change my looks
for anything.
Celebrities love tattoos, are you among those who have several on
their body?
Train up a child in a way you want him to go and when he
grows, he will not depart from it. I will never have a tattoo and I
don’t think my children would have tattoos too. I have a good
skin. Some people are so dark in complexion yet they use black
ink to draw stuff on their skin. I really don’t understand.
What about sagging?
For me, I know the history behind sagging. I am not in chains
and I am not a prisoner. How do you expect me to sag when I
use my hard earned money to buy a belt and then the belt would
just be useless? That is the part of waste we want to cut off in
this country. You don’t expect me to buy a belt and it would be
on my waist and it is not serving any purpose. Kids can even
ask you question concerning that and what would you tell them?
I would rather do the right thing.
Would you allow your girlfriend to wear revealing stuff?
No way. She knows what I like. African men love their food
covered. I will not permit the pubic show of treasure when it is
not a national cake. Making a fashion statement doesn’t mean
you have to show your privates and your cleavage, it is about
simplicity.
Do you still remember with nostalgia how you used to dress back in
the days?
Oh yes. I remember those days and I laugh so hard. The funny
thing is that you would even think you were looking so good
then. Some were fashion blunders. I made some mistakes and I
got them right at times. I think I made so many mistakes in
fashion back then. There was a time we used to wear net and
we would tie wrapper. Do you still remember what Ruggedman
did with the head warmer he was known with for a long time?
How could somebody be wearing head warmers under hot sun?
But it was trending back then. It was only Eedris Abdulkareem
that had a solution to the problem. His own identity was to wear
towel on his head. At least, he knew everywhere was hot so he
would use the towel to clean the sweat.
Were you a fashionable kid?
I was a good dresser. My mum would shop for me and tell me
what to wear. We knew we had to look good on our birthdays
and on Christmas days.
Back then in school did your peers use to yab you about your
looks?
It was all about my head. They would always tell me that my
head was big. But I made more money with my big head. You
would call me from my class to help you yab somebody, I would
go and before the person would even start talking, I would tell
you ahead of time what and what you would yab me with so you
wouldn’t even hit any point. And now, there are even some role
models, like Banky W, who are in the same situation as I am so
I have to thank God for my own big head. Mine is not even that
big.
Is there anything we can’t catch you wearing?
I will never wear tiny pink jeans. That will suit Denrele (Edun)
and not me.
Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital
content on this website, may not be reproduced, published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior
express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
his style and fashion
We learnt you have a comedy club?
Yes, it is a comedy club where people just come and laugh. It is
called Unknot your Tie. We brought this idea because we
discovered so many people are stressed even from the way they
drive on the roads. It is mainly targeted at the working class. It
is a three-hour of comedy.
How have you been able to remain in the system when some others
have ‘retired’ or resigned?
It has been God all the way and of course, personal
development. I have not given up my talent. The inflow of
untalented or lazy comedians who are not able to develop their
own materials might just discourage you. But then, I got into
comedy because of the love I have for it. That is the reason I am
still in the business. Nigeria is a funny place; you can never run
out of jokes. No matter the number of lazy comedians that
come and steal your jokes, it shouldn’t stop you from standing
tall and fighting your battles. That was part of the reason I
conceived Unknot your Tie in order to encourage the younger
ones to try and be original and give them the platform to express
themselves.
Are there times you feel you are in the wrong profession?
It is just like getting married and asking yourself one day why
you are in that marriage. But that doesn’t mean you would just
pack your things and leave. Every occupation has its hazards.
Our headache is people who are not original. When I look back
and count my blessings, I see that I am not in the wrong
profession.
You have metamorphosed in your profession and it is also evident
in the way you dress. Could it also be the gains from comedy? We
remember you weren’t among the good dressers back in the days…
Actually, the dressing most people still talk about should be
what I wore when I first came up and that was during a Night of
a Thousand Laugh show. That was when I was trying to express
my creativity. Then, it was a designer that made that outfit for
me. But later on, I started designing my outfits. I don’t do the
sewing but I do the sketching. As you grow older, the trend
changes. Everybody knows that with the money you make, you
just have to look good.
Do you have an ideology of fashion?
Oh yes. My ideology is you should dress the way you want to be
addressed. It is simple as that. The carriage I have when I wear
suit is not the same I have when I wear agbada or when I wear
casuals. We have come of age and we just have to wear what
makes a statement. It is not all about jokes. The younger ones
want to be like you and the children are also watching you.
Would you say you are stylish?
I am stylish but I am not noisy. It might take a little while for an
onlooker to notice the way you are dressed and when he/she
does, the person would say wow! They may not also notice
quickly because they know I always say I am ugly. Most people
already have that in their head.
Talking about yourt looks, are there times you wish you were better
looking?
You needed to have seen me when I was a little boy. This
country is so frustrating and can change your looks. Try staying
in the UK for more than three years and come back to Nigeria
and look for a job for a year. Do you think you would still look as
fresh as you did when you were in the UK? But I don’t even
regret how I look. I don’t feel bad about it. By the way, it has
been my style for survival. I always look at the brighter side of
life and not thinking back and having regrets. All I know is that I
look good.
But why do you still tell everybody that you are ugly, especially
when you are cracking jokes?
When I came into the industry, I discovered that most of the
comedians indulged in self-praise. I was coming into a market
that I was going to sell a product that people would need to
purchase. I wanted to stand out. So I needed to give people
what they would remember. That is why some people still call
me ‘ Fineboy’ others call me ‘Sexy’ while some others call me
‘Wor Wor’. I also don’t like picking on my crowd. I have so many
jokes to crack rather than picking on the guests. I would rather
‘yab’ myself.
Is it because of the way you look that you dress well in order to
take attention off your face?
No. I look good. I have a very good complexion. I am a creative
person and I like colours. I work with people who are good in
fashion. I believe in proudly Nigerian products. Sometimes,
people see me and think I bought all I’m wearing abroad but I
would take extra minute to tell them about my designer. I take
extra care to look good and not when somebody sees me, the
person would feel I have come to beg him for anything.
Are you saying you don’t buy things abroad?
Somebody sits down in Nigeria and makes things better than
what we can even get abroad so why wouldn’t I patronise the
person when it can also help improve our economy? I love our
made in Nigeria products. However, there are fashion items we
are yet to get right especially wristwatches and belts. I also
have a couple of made in Nigeria shoes and people still scream
wow anytime I wear a pair.
Have you considered doing cosmetic surgery in order to look better
than you look now?
Never! I am a fine boy. I am really fine. I won’t change my looks
for anything.
Celebrities love tattoos, are you among those who have several on
their body?
Train up a child in a way you want him to go and when he
grows, he will not depart from it. I will never have a tattoo and I
don’t think my children would have tattoos too. I have a good
skin. Some people are so dark in complexion yet they use black
ink to draw stuff on their skin. I really don’t understand.
What about sagging?
For me, I know the history behind sagging. I am not in chains
and I am not a prisoner. How do you expect me to sag when I
use my hard earned money to buy a belt and then the belt would
just be useless? That is the part of waste we want to cut off in
this country. You don’t expect me to buy a belt and it would be
on my waist and it is not serving any purpose. Kids can even
ask you question concerning that and what would you tell them?
I would rather do the right thing.
Would you allow your girlfriend to wear revealing stuff?
No way. She knows what I like. African men love their food
covered. I will not permit the pubic show of treasure when it is
not a national cake. Making a fashion statement doesn’t mean
you have to show your privates and your cleavage, it is about
simplicity.
Do you still remember with nostalgia how you used to dress back in
the days?
Oh yes. I remember those days and I laugh so hard. The funny
thing is that you would even think you were looking so good
then. Some were fashion blunders. I made some mistakes and I
got them right at times. I think I made so many mistakes in
fashion back then. There was a time we used to wear net and
we would tie wrapper. Do you still remember what Ruggedman
did with the head warmer he was known with for a long time?
How could somebody be wearing head warmers under hot sun?
But it was trending back then. It was only Eedris Abdulkareem
that had a solution to the problem. His own identity was to wear
towel on his head. At least, he knew everywhere was hot so he
would use the towel to clean the sweat.
Were you a fashionable kid?
I was a good dresser. My mum would shop for me and tell me
what to wear. We knew we had to look good on our birthdays
and on Christmas days.
Back then in school did your peers use to yab you about your
looks?
It was all about my head. They would always tell me that my
head was big. But I made more money with my big head. You
would call me from my class to help you yab somebody, I would
go and before the person would even start talking, I would tell
you ahead of time what and what you would yab me with so you
wouldn’t even hit any point. And now, there are even some role
models, like Banky W, who are in the same situation as I am so
I have to thank God for my own big head. Mine is not even that
big.
Is there anything we can’t catch you wearing?
I will never wear tiny pink jeans. That will suit Denrele (Edun)
and not me.
Copyright PUNCH. All rights reserved. This material, and other digital
content on this website, may not be reproduced, published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior
express written permission from PUNCH.
Contact: editor@punchng.com
Comments
Post a Comment
Comments......