Rise of ‘Koboko Master’ in Nigeria’s stand-up comedy industry

Growing up to understand that he has traits of making people laugh away their sorrow, little did young Gbadamosi ThankGod Benard, professionally known as Koboko Master, know that he was grooming himse...

Koboko Master

Growing up to understand that he has traits of making people laugh away their sorrow, little did young Gbadamosi ThankGod Benard, professionally known as Koboko Master, know that he was grooming himself to become an agent of social change.
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His decision to take up comedy as a career has paid off as it has not only provided him economic value but has exposed him to the high and mighty in society, giving him a voice to contribute to the discourse to address the barrage of ills ravaging society.

Koboko, as he is sometimes called, does not just crack jokes only to provide therapeutic services to people, he uses jokes to pass messages that are deep in meaning, highlighting issues that touch on social development.

He has risen to the ladders over the years to become a force to reckon with in Abuja entertainment landscape, having since 2017 hosted his annual collaborative show, Comedy Bloodline.

It holds at what has been described as Abuja’s number one event arena, the prestigious Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel in the nation’s capital.
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It has boasted massive success, not just in the packaging, organising and quality of entertainers it pulls from across the country and beyond, but the number and quality of individuals who turn up for the annual comedy show. It’s on record that it has recorded a steady overflow, on the account of number of people who come out to identify with Koboko’s brand.

Just in June, he emerged as the first Abuja comedian to have attracted an international artiste, Patrick Salvador from Uganda for his event and the third in the entire nation to invite him after the likes of Basket Mouth and AY.

He has also continued to ply his trade outside Abuja, having expanded his network beyond his immediate vicinity, adding value to the industry on a large scale.

The biggest brands in the industry, talking about Basket Mouth, AY, Okey Bakassi, and Ali Baba, all take pride in working with him, making him one of the very few comedians to share the stage with these big brands.
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In an effort to advance the horizon of value addition, he has recently created a podcast called Truth Be Told, domiciled on YouTube and Red Curtain TV, where quality media contents are created via analysis and interviews.

His 2025 calendar also looks good, as he is billed to travel with the King of Comedy, Basket Mouth, to the UK where he would perform at one of the world’s biggest stages, Indigo 02 Arena, in February.

He has continuously commanded large followership across the board, as he has become a delight to many lovers of standup comedy in the country because of the value contained in his type of jokes.

To also contribute to grooming credible successive generations, he has provided mentorship to upcoming comedians, giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent in his shows.
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There is no doubt that the future looks brighter for him as he seeks to delve into other areas of entertainment, including consultancy and packaging.

Koboko Master has indeed paid his dues and looks forward to a bountiful harvest from his sweat of hard labour.
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