The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China says he is determined to scale up the comedy industry in order to empower at least 70 per cent of Nigeria’s over 146 million youth population.

Mr. China said this on Monday, February 26, 2024 on the sidelines of the unveiling of the biggest comedy show in the Niger Delta branded ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, which is the brainchild of Port Harcourt stand-up comedian, KO Baba Jornsen, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

He noted that it was a mistake for government at different levels in the country to continue to ignore comedy and the huge resources, pointing out that the annual value of business in the comedy industry is estimated at over N100billion, regretting that most state and local governments in the Niger Delta ignore this.

He said he has come as a force to push the reigning comedy show in the oil region, ‘The Mayor of Pitakwa’ to become one of the leading shows in Nigeria, asserting that “China has moved bigger behind the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’ show to make it go bigger and maybe international as the laugh and hilarious centre in Nigeria”.

The brand force has thus 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.

“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.”

Another point, he stated, is that this show captures Nigeria’s biggest demography of about 70 per cent of the population. Nigeria right now is over 235m people and 70 per cent or 146m of this is huge that 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 why 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 is 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.”

“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 Cefas because before now, one Naira was equal to almost 100 Cameroon cefas but right now, one Cameroon cefa 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.”

He commended the Lagos State Government for partnering with an international firm to build the Lagos Film Village. “Government can invest in these spaces.

“Before now, arts and culture got huge chunks in annual budgets but right now, it is the opposite. The sector is on its own; to either grow or die. What the government can do is to give some support which will definitely go a long way.

“Every location in Nigeria has a huge population of indigenous talents and every local council authority can easily support these talents. We no longer have cultural centres, comedy centres, halls, nor facilities or incentives to support art and culture. There are even no recognitions to the sector practitioners.”

“Facility, financing, and recognition are needed urgently. Facility is the infrastructural support; financial support is the funding made available to the comedy industry, while recognition is the emotional support needed to boost the sector. Sometimes, if your son does well, a path on the back is all he needs.”

He said the government is no longer sowing patriotism in the hearts of the youths, the largest demography in Africa. They have the risk of this huge demography turn against them.”

Earlier, the man behind the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, K.O. Baba Jornsen, said at the pre-event press briefing that unveiling the objective of the 2024 edition was important to show how big the annual show has become.

The event would be mounted on April 1, 2024, with the theme; ‘They like to fool us’. The objective, he said, is to create brand visibility of the sponsors and those that know the value behind comedy shows.

Jornsen said the event would feature comedy for almost all the hours allotted to it, though other spices such as dances and short remarks are lined up to create variety. “There will be one hour of open moment to allow any comedian outside the cast that wishes to make an entry.”

“I (K.O Baba Jornsen) started small in Diobu (Port Harcourt) at the Royal Castle Hotel. Today, I have held shows in all hotels in the Garden City including the biggest centres. Now, we will hold this at EUI on April 1, Easter Monday, 2024.”

Expected comedians at Mayor of Pitakwa 2024: Mudiaga, Gordons, Passion, Titus of Flatmates, Paul & Silas, Last Prophet, Akpan Okon, GSM, Danny Sprow, MC Dave, MC Intelligent (winner of Jamz of Pitakwa contest).