Nigerian comedian and content creator Emmanuel Ejekwu, popularly known as Sabinus, has opened up about the tension his career choice once caused between him and his father.
In a heartfelt interview with media personality VJ Adams, Sabinus revealed that his father never supported his love for comedy and expected him to pursue a more “serious” profession.
According to him, his dad dreamed of having a lawyer in the family, but after several failed attempts to secure a law admission, he eventually settled for Linguistics and Communication Studies at the University of Port Harcourt. It was there he discovered his passion for skit making and began experimenting with online comedy.
However, that discovery did not go down well at home. Sabinus said his father felt betrayed when he eventually found out that his son had chosen comedy over a traditional profession.
He recalled:
“At first, my dad never wanted me to be what I am today, he wanted me to be a lawyer. I tried my best but I couldn’t secure a law admission. So, I had to settle for Linguistics and Communication Studies at Uniport.”
Speaking on how comedy began for him, he added:
“It was on the campus that I saw skit making and I decided to try it out. Money wasn’t coming.”
He explained that after graduating, he kept his comedy journey hidden from his father for a whole year. But eventually, his dad stumbled upon posters featuring him as a comedian and the reaction was explosive.
“My dad never knew I was a comedian because I was hiding it. It was one more year after school that he started seeing me on comedy show posters. My sisters confirmed to him that I was into comedy. He was very furious. He fumed, ‘Which comedy? Stupid business. Look at the boy I sent to become a lawyer.’”
Sabinus noted that things only changed when he began earning from comedy and started gifting his father money. At that point, the same man who once dismissed skit making as a “stupid business” eventually gave him his blessings.
Today, Sabinus is one of Nigeria’s most successful digital comedians, with multiple awards, brand endorsements, and an ever-growing fan base.