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#IWASTHERE

Mr Ajebo turned his comic talent into a career

By making people laugh, Mr Ajebo is selling ideas and influencing people, and he thinks other young Nigerians should make their talents work for them too. 

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Mr Ajebo is a stand-up comedian and entrepreneur. He wants his story to be told, to encourage others to use their talents and follow their dreams… and to show that it doesn’t always have to be serious.

It’s in the blood

Mr Ajebo is the popular name of Aaron Emeka Nehemiah Kalu. The young comedian says that he was born to be one. “I always knew my path was entertainment,” he says. “I was the one who would act and cause parents to fall off their seats. In fact, by the time I was ready to go to the University, I was seeking one that offered ‘Comedy’.”

Animated communications

Comedy wasn’t available, so Mr Ajebo studied Mass Communication instead, which gained him entry into a different world, his animation company – House of Ajebo. He develops animated cartoons that are all the rage online, and his company handles PR and advertising for various brands, helping them capture and retain audience attention through the use of humour. He also plans to launch an educational and entertaining cartoon for children.

A lesson in presentation

But this is a far cry from his humble start: “My first job was at 16 years old. I was paid 4,000 Naira (about 9 Euros) to anchor a wedding and, although I dressed in the full Ibo regalia in order to look older, the first response I got was one of contempt.” Undeterred, Mr Ajebo kept going and by the end the audience was right behind him. His first professional dabble into comedy stands out for him as the time he began to recognize the potential of the craft.

Conquer the fear

Mr Ajebo, however, did not focus on comedy as a profession until much later, and it was a brave move. “Do not be afraid to change environment, as it spurs growth,” he says. “I resigned from a successful career as a radio host after nine years because I knew it was not encouraging me to grow.” He encourages others to be brave too, and follow their dreams: “Do not be afraid to start something new; whether for fear of what people would say or fear of hunger.”

The charm of laughter

In common with many young people trying something new, Mr Ajebo faced bias when he set out: many people thought that comedians would just come and disrupt their events. A charm offensive helped to combat that, just as he had won over the audience at his first gig. And in a country where there are so many problems, Mr Ajebo is sure that comedians are needed to keep people sane. They rekindle hope by connecting with people and their situations, making lighter of situations that people ordinarily take too seriously.

Mediapoint

Crafting skills from talent

Mr Ajebo is also encouraging to young people, especially because he started out at such a young age, but, “I always tell them that ‘Talent is not enough.’ It accounts for just about 40% of what is required for success,” Mr Ajebo asserts. “Work ethics and character are equally important as you cannot earn a living out of talent alone.” And ‘talent’ – anything ranging from conflict resolution to cooking – is just a raw material anyway; it must be converted to skills.

Keep developing yourself

Mr Ajebo’s advice to those just setting out is: “The worst thing you can do to yourself is nothing. You need to constantly endeavour to discover yourself.” He believes that everyone has multiple talents and is a product of his or her environment, therefore you should keep an open mind to discover new things about yourself and learn. Then, when you eventually find your career path, you will find that it can be followed effortlessly. “Know what you want, and go for it regardless.”

 

Mr.Ajebo‘s story is part of the multiyear campaign, kicked off on International Youth Day 2019 by the Empower Youth for Work program and the Work in Progress! alliance. The campaign aims to support the national influencing work of the respective programs by joining forces with local role models. The ripples of #Iwasthere are spreading out around the world and these stories are proof that change can happen anywhere – we hope they will inspire you, too, to become an active citizen. 

Why these stories?

There are more young people today than ever before in the history of the world; 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 and 24 worldwide, and 90% of them live in low-income countries. . Harnessing the energy and strength of young women and men to become active citizens is core to Oxfam's goal of transformational change.

With their energy, skills and creativity, young people have the potential to be the driving force for social change, strong economies and vibrant democracies. 

Oxfam is working jointly with youth to challenge barriers that prevent them from

01

Enjoying their rights

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Participating fully in society

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Being an effective voice in decision-making processes