What marriage has done to me- Comedian, D'Lectura

D'Lectura

Wave making comedian and show promoter, Emmanuel Adigwe famously known as D’Lectura abandoned accounting for the business of rib cracking over a decade ago.

In this chat monitored by SHOWBIZPLUSng, the entertainer from Delta State, revealed a lot of things hitherto unknown about him, especially his reasons for embracing comedy ahead of his accounting profession and many more interesting issues.

We would like to start this chat by knowing more about your recently held event, “An Evening with D’lectura”

It was actually on the 28th of this month. I decided to put a comedy show together in the area where I stay.  I did the show in Akute and I chose to do it there because that is my area. That is where I base and I have been doing a lot of shows over there for a long time. In the past editions of the show, I have invited the likes Ali Baba and AY and they all came to perform. I’m trying to give back to the society that has given so much to me. Akute is where I grew up and I thanked God when Ali Baba came to perform there, right there on stage he called me the King of Comedy in Akute land.

How has the reception been from the people around there?

The reason I actually started organizing shows was because most times I attend comedy shows on the island like the AY Live show at Eko Hotel, I realized that people in Akute, travel all the way to the island to watch comedy shows and I said to myself why not bring these stars the Akute people travel to watch down to their door steps. When I did my first show November 2^nd, 2007, Basket Mouth was there, African China, MC Abbey, Igos and Lepacious Bose also attended. The second show I invited the likes of AY, Juilius Agwu, Koffi, Princess and a whole lot of them. The third show in 2009, I hosted Gordons, Seyi Law, Victor Osuagwu and a whole lot of them also. I have invited almost everybody there, just a few of them that are yet to grace my show at Akute. I was organizing “Laughter 101” but this “An Evening with D’lectura” is a new one and I intend making it a monthly affair. I want them to have something to look forward to every month, where to unwind and enjoy themselves. I just didn’t want to start monthly now; I just wanted to gradually introduce it to my people in Akute. I’m doing it quarterly now but by next year, I will resume monthly.

None of your shows has been a yearly outing since you started?

I started “Laughter 101” in 2007 and did it till 2009. But in 2010 something happened that made me stop; my beloved mother was very ill and I started running around. So that year my show didn’t hold. Then while I was planning to do it in 2010, she died and in 2011 and 2012 I could not gather enough money to organize a show. So in order to gradually introduce myself, I started a smaller show called “Laugh Out Loud” that was when I hosted Seyi Law and Akpororo in the first show and it turned out a huge success. I hosted Ali Baba in the second show. Then after the Ali Baba show, a man came from the United States and said he loved what I was doing and said he wanted me to manage his hotel and event centre. I ran the place for about a year, I did some shows there also but later I saw that running that place was taking much of my time, I couldn’t concentrate on doing my own thing.

How has the response from your fellow comedians been like, moving them from Lagos to Akute for shows regularly?

It has been marvelous and awesome. The fact that comedians have the drive to help one another unlike the music industry, which is why somebody like Bunmi Davies can afford to do “Stand Up Nigeria” without a music artiste. If I hear that a comedian is having a show, I can travel far just to support that show. In the long run it rubs off on both sides. You can perform at my show and I may not have the money to pay you. But that person that came to my show will be impressed and call you to mcee a wedding or something like that. So you have gotten a job from a job you performed for free. Organizing comedy shows are not really profiting much, but we just do it to build our brands. AY needs AY Live to build his brand not necessarily the money. I have been able to do that with the shows I have organized so far in Akute. If you mention D’lectura to any comedian, they will remember Akute, if you mention Akute, then my name comes to mind first. I have carved a niche for myself.

How do comedians make money?

Comedians make money from their client base. When you are able to build a reasonable amount of client base you will be getting money. You can have a company that will say all of our shows and events, you will be the anchor; you will mcee all our events. That’s something. You also need to have someone to manage you and bring the jobs. There are a lot of ways comedians can make money, we can’t name them all. Comedy is very important now. I have been to a wedding where the van conveying the food to the venue got spoilt and I held the crowd till the van arrived. A good comedian is a must have in any event right now.

All the comedians listed for your forthcoming show, have they all confirmed their attendance?

When I say a comedian will perform at my show, that comedian will always come. If I say Basket Mouth and Ali Baba are coming to my show, they will. But if Ali Baba doesn’t come, Basket Mouth will. That is how I arrange my shows.   I always call them and most times, I also go and meet them and tell them what I need. When I actually wanted to host Ali Baba, it took some time. Most times I would have to leave my house very early in the morning. Sometimes when I get there he will still be asleep and I will wait. I follow up a lot with calls, text messages and all that. I remember when I hosted Julius Agwu, the way I followed him he was even forced to honour me even while he was engaged. He had a show in Abuja on Saturday evening and Sunday evening while my show was on Sunday. Julius Agwu flew from Abuja for my show on Sunday; he was the first comedian to come and he waited for us to set up the stage. He was the first comedian to perform and he did one hour then went back to the airport and flew back to Abuja for another show. I was really touched by what he did that day because another person wouldn’t have bothered coming to my show. What some would have done was call me to tell me they will miss the show and maybe try and compensate me with money, but Julius Agwu made sure he was there.

Can you remember your most profitable show so far?

I think the “Laugh Out Loud” edition I hosted Seyi Law. I didn’t spend much because I was trying to cut cost, yet at the end of the day, it turned out a huge success.

How much did you make?

I made a lot of money but I can’t tell you how much.

Tell us about how you started comedy?

I started comedy a long time ago. A friend of mine Gideon introduced me to comedy. In 1994 Gideon used to come to our house in Benin and before you know he will start cracking jokes. My dad loved him, our landlord loved him, everybody around loved him. I started watching him and we started doing stuffs together. We went to Auchi Polytechnic together and we started an entertainment outfit together. That was when Awilo came out, so we were dancing Makossa, cracking jokes and at the end of the day I started doing full time comedy but as a hobby then. I didn’t care about the money, all I cared about was the happiness I was deriving from it. It was years after I graduated from school while I was working as an accountant that I started having a change of heart. The jobs coming in from comedy was far bigger than what I was getting as an accountant. I remember getting a Coca Cola gig in 2002 for N60,000. At that point I wasn’t actually enjoying my job as an accountant and I went abroad. I went to Holland but came back and started doing comedy. That was how I called Ali Baba and he invited me to his Comedy Plus in VGC and after that he asked me to come home with him and that was how I started. I stayed with Alibaba for two years from 2004. I met AY, Jedi, Igos and a whole lot of other comedians while I was there. With the help of Ali Baba I was able to perform on stages that I wouldn’t have been able to perform on my own. From there I entered the “Night of a Thousand Laughs” show and started building my brand.

How has the journey been for you in the comedy industry?

It has been a fantastic experience; though I’m not yet fulfilled, but it has been wonderful. There is nothing much better than doing what you love. I can do comedy easily without stress and difficulty unlike the accounting I did in school.

What do you want to achieve with comedy?

There are a whole lot of things I want to achieve. Firstly, I want to have a very lovely family which I’ve started already. That’s my number one aim. I want to build an empire with comedy. I want to go round the world with comedy. Just the way people know me in Akute, I want the world to know me in the same way.

Can you remember your best performance as a comedian?

I have had many memorable performances but the one I can easily remember was at the “AY Live” show of 2007 and it’s in the volume four of the “AY Live” DVD. There was actually no time for me to perform that day. AY said no time but I said give me two minutes and he said okay, go on stage. That was how I went on stage and in two minutes, everywhere was on fire and I was given a standing ovation after my performance. I did a joke about 2face then, and everybody liked it. That was easily my best performance I can think of. AY used that joke as the joke of the year on his TV Show. 

Tell us about your worst day on stage also?

 My worst day on stage has to be the day I was booed at Lagbaja’s show. That was my worst day on stage. That day was tough. I can remember AY was booed that day also.

I learnt that you are married, how has it been?

Marriage has been awesome for me. I will say it with all confidence. To the glory of God, my marriage has been very fine. I married a woman that understands every bit of me. I married my best friend and my sister. It has been fun.

When did you marry?

I got married last year and we have a kid already.

Do you hope to have more?

I hope to get one more and maybe during the cold season, we can add one more again. Then we can pack up (Laughs).

Where are you from?

I am from Ogwashi Uku in Delta State but I grew up in Warri, Sapele, Agbor, Auchi. I schooled in different places because of the nature of my dad’s work. 

 

Lastly, who were the entertainers that perform on your July 28 show in Akute?

An Evening With D’Lectura held at Dees multipurpose hall, Bunnys Plaza, Akute. It featured comedians like: De Don, Acapella, Gandoki, Bash, Funny Bone, Kech Ofuobi, Senator, Amikable, Shakara, Shakira, Big Mickey, Open Teeth, Jibade and several others.

 

STEVE DEDE-ENTERTAINMENT EXPRESS