Blessing Douglas
A Port Harcourt based entrepreneur, My-ACE China, has expressed worries on how Niger Delta region, losses over N100billion in the comedy industry.
China who is popularly known as ‘Mayor of Housing’, explained that the annual value of business in the comedy industry is estimated at over N100 billion, lamenting that most state and local governments in Niger Delta failed to realise this opportunity available for them.
Speaking on the sidelines of the proposed comedy show tagged: ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, China noted the untapped potentials of Niger Delta youths in the comedy industry.
The two-time winner of the show at D’MOMA Awards for 2022 and 2023, disclosed that he has made himself a leading force pushing ‘The Mayor of Pitakwa’ event to become one of the leading shows in Nigeria.
The real estate agent explained why he is pushing the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’ show, saying it is not only the biggest comedy show in the Niger Delta, also because he (China) was once a comedian.
He said: “I know how their industry is under-utilized and under-appreciated. Many of the corporations in the region have not recognized the value of that industry-like endeavour as is done in Lagos and now in Abuja.
“We want to be the pioneers, not only to recognize that industry, but to bridge the gap of dichotomy between Lagos/Abuja and Port Harcourt zone.”
According to Mr China, the comedy industry in the country captures Nigeria’s biggest demography of about 70 percent of the population.
He said: “Nigeria right now is over 235 million people and 70 percent or 146 million of this (population ) that is huge, is underappreciated and underutilized.
“A lot of people have called for an industrial and agricultural revolution in Nigeria as a way out. But, the people that can bring this about are the youths that we neglect. The future billionaires are these same youths that we are underappreciating.
“If we can make an impression with and build bridges with them, we would be securing our future because by the time they are up there, they would not forget those who were there for them in the beginning.
“These are the three reasons we are partnering with the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’. On a lighter note, the country is going through a new wave of stress. So, without humour-therapy, the rate of depression and suicide would be very high.”
On why Nigeria is surviving the wave of what it is going through, he said it was because of the heavy presence of humour.
“It has come in as a huge panacea for what people are going through. Over the years, because of the explosion of the humour industry, most Nigerians have come to fall back on humour to digest their problems.
“They simply turn their misery into jokes and find a way to live with it or overcome it. Songs and jokes abound in Nigeria on every single disaster or misery.
“Some comedians make cruel jokes on themselves so much that people see their own afflictions as jokes from nature. They no longer see these things as tragedy but as jokes from nature which they must overcome.”
He went on: “See how bad Nigeria has become. You can’t even attempt to look up the value of your Naira to Dollar. You can’t even compare the Naira to Cameroon CFA because before now, one Naira was equal to almost 100 Cameroon CFA but right now, one Cameroon CFA is N4. That is how bad things have become.
“Part of what is shielding the populace from the wave of hardship in Nigeria is humour as captured by the comedy industry. That is why this industry should not be overlooked or downplayed. It is more important than any ant-depressants or pill that can be given for depression, heartbreak, or hardship. For us, it’s a huge thing and we are contributing and supporting with our all.
“Finally, we are the only startup company in Nigeria that does corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a scaled project. As we grow, we make CSR impact. We do not believe that you should wait till you grow or make all the profit before you make CSR impact around you. We do as we grow, and as we grow bigger, we offer bigger. We make impact with our growth.”
