While pranks and skit making have become a source of wealth for a section of the creative industry, emerging excesses and attendant risks to unsuspecting public has gained attention amid calls that such acts should not go unattended, Gregory Austin Nwakunor writes.

Skit making has now become one of the successes of the creative industry. It has created opportunities for many youths to be employed. However, skit making is currently suffering from destructive creativity.

Though many have commended the manner it has lifted a lot of youths out of poverty, it has also become an albatross, as innocent people have suffered from the butt of pranksters. In fact, the country has reached the point where many are calling for a regulation of the genre.

A report released in March 2022 by Dataleum, a global talent accelerator, ranked skit making “as the third largest entertainment industry in Nigeria with a net worth of over N50 billion.”

The report said many young people are using their talents and the digital space to make people happy, while also earning a living amid high unemployment rate, which the National Bureau of Statistics put at 33 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020.

Enabled by smartphones, cheap cameras, social media accounts and the Internet, a category of young Nigerians is currently creating what is called a social media skit industry.  Many of these Nigerians are university graduates, who could not secure jobs and found it difficult to own businesses in Nigeria, because of the problematic business environments.

They said Nigeria is a country with significant human potential. However, there seems to be limited opportunities in the traditional work spheres for individuals to harness their potential, as the country’s unemployment rate continues to sit at a whopping 33 per cent as of the last quarter of 2022.

Another report shows that in recent years, more people have begun seeking alternatives to white-collar employment as possible solutions to this problem, and one industry that has thrived from this is the creative sector.

This industry, which primarily emerged as a mode of economic survival for predominantly unemployed youths, is now extending into becoming a key locus of economic, cultural, and political power and influence in Nigeria.

The professionalisation of hitherto amateur social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram and Twitter, as well as the platform capitalism that it engenders is empowering these young Nigerians to create a social media skit industry in Nigeria.

According to data available, this sector has somewhat solidified the gap left by other sectors in the country – to an extent – as the once neglected industry is now projected to reach a valuation of $15 billion by 2025.

A study conducted by the Africa Polling Institute (API) on the comedy industry revealed that 90 per cent of Nigerians polled believed that comedy skits were more of a source of employment.

While pranks can be enjoyable and harmless, they should not be conducted in a way that endangers the safety of others or violates laws and regulations.

In the last two years, there have been a lot of complaints about how this genre of performative art has been reduced to banality.

Recently, the decision of a Magistrate’s Court at Iyaganku, Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to remand skitmaker and prankster, Abdullahi Maruff Adisa, popularly known as Trinity Guy, in prison for allegedly sexualising a minor in a viral skit video till the next adjourned date slated for August 3, 2023 has called to question, the excesses of pranksters.

Odd at it seems, Trinity Guy’s current scandal is a sign that this genre is out leaving its welcome. Proponents of reforms in content creation are afraid of pranking having a huge impact on children and young ones in the society.

A prank is defined as a mischievous act or a practical joke played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion or discomfort.

Pranks could be entertaining in nature, but at the same time, capable of inciting fear and anxiety, causing restlessness, or making the victims look stupid or ridiculed by others.

Currently, pranksters are trying to dominate the skit making space in Nigeria. However, people are worried about the extreme content they are dishing out.

Despite the above auspicious economic and entertainment benefits of prank videos for the content creator and the viewer, pranking can be risky for the targets and even the pranksters.

Also, people have identified extreme pranks with Trinity Guy because of the manner he usually created content. In one of his contents called Assassin prank, he was seen threatening to kill a man because he has been paid to do so.

When it was eventually revealed that it was a prank, the victim turned violent, which could have led to loss of life of the prankster if not for the quick intervention of people around the area.

In 2022, Eyinatayo Iluyomade, a 19-year-old Lagos-based comedian, was arrested and charged to court for allegedly dropping a threat note of robbery at First Bank’s Sabo branch counter, in Ondo town.

The Ondo State police spokesperson said the skit maker made a very expensive and sensitive joke that would not be condoned.

She said Iluyomade dropped a note at the bank indicating that by 1.00 p.m. on the said day, his armed robbery gang members would come to rob the bank.

“In the note, he wrote we are coming to rob, and there’s nothing your police can do. It was a mad move considering the insecurity situation in Nigeria and Ondo State. I don’t know his stage name. I don’t think he’s a known comedian, but he has been charged to court. He is currently standing trial, and the outcome would be made public,” she said.

On June 17, 2023, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), CSP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, made a video, warning comedians and skit makers, who engage in pranks, to regulate their activities as they are putting Nigerian lives at risk.

He said pranksters and skit makers should avoid engaging in dangerous and unlawful activities that could endanger people’s lives or subject them to dehumanisation.

The FPRO also spoke of an incident where a skit maker used a dummy gun for a prank, stressing that such actions could lead to misunderstandings with law enforcement officers.

He noted that the police’s message does not aim to prohibit skit makers from practicing their craft but rather to raise awareness about the potential dangers associated with their activities, promoting safety, avoiding harm to individuals, and ensuring compliance with the law.

No sooner had the warning been issued, than a viral video surfaced showing Trinity Guy forcing a female minor to give a description of his male genitalia.

Adejobi said that the activities of the pranksters create more problems for the police on security management than what they (pranksters) gain from such pranks.

The Force spokesperson warned pranksters and skit makers to either regulate their pranks or stop such controversial ones completely to avoid victimisation.

“Can we please regulate or stop it in totality? Because I’m saying this so that we can call your attention to it perhaps you don’t even know that this is becoming dangerous these days. Well, we are telling you now, it is becoming dangerous.”

Many also argue that there is a need for collaborations between law enforcement agencies, social media platforms, content creators and relevant stakeholders to facilitate the development and enforcement of comprehensive guidelines for pranks. They said though young people are using it to make money, the manner they are doing it is wrong.

They noted that by formalising regulations and increasing awareness, a balance could be struck between entertainment and ethical considerations.

According to the Chief Executive of Royal Roots, a film production and marketing company, Gregory Odutayo, skit making is a temporary phenomenon that will never in any way displace normal filmmaking.

Odutayo believes that skit making never ranks high when it comes to the creative industry. “I’m not worried by what they do, because basically they are just improvising,” he said.

He, however, lamented that such a genre, which is not structured and lacks depth, has taken over the performance space.

A legal practitioner, Hassan Olalekan Sherif, in a piece on The New Madness Called Prank And Its Many Implications, advocated for formal regulation and increased awareness surrounding this form of entertainment.

“Pranks should not be exempt from ethical standards and legal frameworks that protect individuals’ rights and well-being. By implementing regulations, authorities can establish clear guidelines and standards that ensure pranks are conducted responsibly, with respect for privacy, consent, and the safety of all parties involved,” he said.

He also raised the need for sensitisation campaigns and educational initiatives, saying they are “essential to raise awareness about the potential implications of pranks. It is crucial to inform both content creators and audiences about the importance of obtaining consent, respecting privacy, and considering the potential psychological, physical, and security risks associated with pranks.”

“Personally, I feel these pranks are becoming too dangerous,” said Olukorede Elisha, a blogger. “It’s hard not to notice the growing nuisance value of these pranks. Some are just too uncivil and disturbs public peace. Trust Nigerians to go overboard when doing things.”

Elisha added: “I’m of the view that civility should be brought into content creation. Some of them are just annoying.”

For Kehinde Kwenku, “it is your choice, but the government is there to deal with you and regulate people’s activities in the public. You play pranks on someone who has health challenges and the person eventually dies. What would you call that?”

According to Tunde Ojolowo, a theatre artiste, “if you are a prankster, know your audience, know how the victim reacts to jokes, know how far is too far and tone things back.”

He continued, “when individuals pull pranks without considering how the victim will receive the joke, they set themselves up for sorrow, anger and heartache.”

Reforming the industry will not be easy, but it does promise a better sector for many youths who are into creative content creation. It is believed it will also promote a healthier and more responsible approach to pranks.