A popular Nigerian Instagram comedian and content creator who goes by the stage name SirBalo tied the knot with his heartthrob in Benin city, Edo State last weekend. 

It was a great sight to see that almost all the notable online comedians and skit makers were in Benin to support him. The likes of Sabinus, Brain Jotter, Sydney Talker, OGB, Calistus, Edo Pikin, Ashmusy, James Brown etc were all there. That event can boast to be the gathering with the highest number of Nigerian skit makers and content creators.

Seeing most of the Instagram skit makers looking dapper and flashy and some of them spraying hard currency on the celebrants, got me thinking about how much the creative and entertainment industry, especially the skit-making and content-creating arm has grown in the past few years in Nigeria. 

About six years ago when skit making and Instagram content creation were started by Crazy Clown and Ade with their 30 seconds “father and son slap videos” and also Twyse Ereme with his “dysfunctional family content videos”, those lads were all international students based in Ukraine and the United Kingdom, nobody could ever imagine that one-day skit making would turn into a source of livelihood and a huge generator of income for many, especially for the youths, becoming one of the major sources of income and employment for the youths in Nigeria today.

Instagram skit making and content creation in Nigeria all started by people having fun and playing around with cameras with no intent or thought that they would ever start making good money off it to live by; until their videos started garnering a high number of views; in hundreds of thousands and even in millions both on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Due to this feat, brands started approaching them to help squeeze in their products or brands in the videos so as to expose the products or increase the products’ visibility to potential customers through those videos. 

That is how money-making from skit-making kicked off for those Instagram skit makers and content creators. Now they charge millions for advert placements and endorsements of products. Who could tell that this would be the case six years ago?

I find it hilarious when some of these comedians (especially the A-list skit makers) post the properties they acquired online and people comment that they are into fraud and that it is not possible for them to be making the much money they show off from skit making and content creation.

In fact, Sabinus aka Mr. Funny, acquired the house with a customized swimming pool last week which was valued at hundreds of millions of naira and I heard people saying that he is into internet fraud or money laundering and that he is not making that much from skits to afford all those things; I found such comments quite ridiculous because it is actually coming from those that are ignorant of how much those skit makers, especially the A list skit makers charge per endorsements and advert placements. 

I am currently a lawyer to two notable A-list Instagram skit makers and I know how many endorsement contracts I review for them on weekly bases and I know how much they make per week. In fact, in one of Sabinus’ media interviews, he (by himself) stated that he makes on average at least 10 million Naira per month, and having been his lawyer for some time now I can tell you that he is just being modest with that figure. I am speaking from authority, and I don’t mind being quoted, like I said, I am the lawyer to some of them, hence I am the one that reviews those contracts and sometimes helps with the negotiations and renegotiation of the deals and they are paid in millions of naira for each of those endorsements and advert placements you see them post. If you are still in doubt, contact any A-list Nigerian skit maker or his management and ask them to send you their advert rate card, they charge in millions per post. 

Let us not forget that they are also being paid by Youtube, Tiktok, and Facebook and they also charge for shows and guest appearances; do the math. 

The above two paragraphs are necessary to help buttress the point of how much the skit-making industry has grown from “child’s play” to one of the most lucrative industries currently in Nigeria. Some kit makers are now even richer than some musicians and richer than some CEOs of companies and even richer than politicians and oil workers. 

This is the point where the government should take a keen interest in that arm of the entertainment industry and also invest in it.  Also, serious businessmen and investors; both local and international investors should invest in that industry; I can tell you that it is a goldmine and if your investment is well managed you will recoup 100x in no distant time: hunt for talents, nurture those talents, market the talents and start cashing out. I know it is actually deeper than this but that is for a start. 

Content creation is the new gold; world’s best footballer like Ronaldo in recent years is said to make more from Instagram content creation and advert placement than he makes from football; his primary occupation, so also with the likes of Kim Kardashian and the whole Kardashians family. Same with YouTube; youtube content creators like Mr. Beast, Joe Rogan, Andrew Tates, etc are all millionaires in dollars, and their primary source of income as of now is content creation. 

The population of India is 1.4 billion.  The population of Africa is 1.3 billion. The GDP of India is $3.1 trillion.  The GDP of Africa is $3 trillion. Did you notice something? Africa and India are just in the same pot, underperforming, despite the perception that India has higher productivity or efficiency. Indeed, the economic efficiency difference between India and Africa is the type which exists between 12 and a dozen. Sure, Africa has more natural resources. But yet, India enjoys one border which has an efficiency factor against Africa.

Why this post? The politicians are throwing technology, technology and technology in their campaigns in Nigeria. One gubernatorial aspirant  is all over the place with blockchain for agriculture. People, what African agriculture needs is electricity to power silos, storage systems, etc; water systems for irrigation; and accessible road networks. And of course the big one: security!

I am a techie and I am conscious to write that the buzz of tech does not solve fundamental problems without a policy framework or business model. You can have all the tech experts in the world, and yet underperform on national productivity. That vision is what makes technology deliver big time.

Yes, politicians in Nigeria should focus on big picture policy designs because that is where the real national revolution and evolution can happen. Sure, when those are designed properly, the techies can help to execute them.

America’s edge is not just having techies but having the world’s finest policy making instrument.  The US Congress is an engine of innovation with the capacity to invent the best technologies today and tomorrow even though most people there do not code! I have a case study:

The US Congress which documented the anniversary of the Bayh-Dole Act quoted me: “For me, Bayh-Dole Act is the most important business legislature of the last century in the United States. And this is American Congress at its very best moment. It delivered through legislature and transformed the pace of innovation by providing a fluidic system that enhances U.S competitiveness.” 

The Bayh-Dole Act as I wrote and spoke was fundamental to modern US competitiveness. Largely, it made it possible for private citizens to commercialize inventions funded by US taxpayers. Without it, there will be no  Google*. The evolution of web3, modern AI, blockchain, etc are all encapsulated in that Act even though they were not mentioned therein.

Politicians should think about the big picture and leave the operational tech stacks for the techies. Without those big visions, even the tech will not deliver much, despite the effervescence and exuberance of tech buzz. Indeed, even tech will not save India; only great visions will do. Tech can only help in executing the grand visions.

Comment on Feed

Comment 1: “Blockchain for Agriculture”, I heard him say that, my annoyance was triggered. Person never chop, na blocking the chain of yam, cassava, etc. is the order of the day. Africa needs sound leadership — people who understand how things work with simplicity. Let them start implementing policy innovations of developed countries first (like “copy and paste”). Let’s even start from there. Great post, Prof. Ndubuisi.

Comment 2: You cannot proffer solutions to problems till you have got quality data. The majority of African poor particularly Nigerian are in the villages. Technology and innovations among the rural dwellers is a little above zero, hence productivity is extremely low, resulting in high level of poverty. If the government can work on quality input delivery to the farmers by encouraging the establishment of adequate technology such as quality fertilizer, high yielding seeds, labour reducing technologies such as hand driven tillage machines and planters, productivity in the rural sector will thrive, and this will attract agro processors to the rural areas, and the chains will lead to the multiplication of service providers including banking in the rural areas, hence thriving the rural economy, reducing import, improving export and dislodging people from overchoked cities

My Response: “You cannot proffer solutions to problems till you have got quality data.” – it seems you are copying Harvard, MIT, Wharton. That is not applicable to Africa. Everyone in my village and yours know that we need constant electricity, clean water, good roads, security and decent healthcare. What data do you need to offer those? While Harvard etc can write that Boston needs better data, Nigeria does not need that. Why? Boston is moving from 98% to 99% and needs data to drive that. But Nigeria is at 5% and to get to 40%, it has enough data to do that.