The scariest thing I ever did – Smith, comedian 

Lucy Nnaji

For comedian, actor and scriptwriter, Ekene Adigwu aka Ekene Smith, his ambition is to impact lives positively through his comedy show, Laff Super.  

According to the graduate of Delta State University, he wants to make the youth know that they can achieve whatever they set out to achieve only if they are ready to take the first step. In this interview, he bares it all.

Who inspired you into choosing comedy as a career?

My elder brother, Emeka Smith, who is a popular comedian inspired me. He made me love comedy. I worked as his personal assistant when I finished my secondary school. I learnt the craft and also had the opportunity to mingle with lots of comedians. I actually chose to be a comedian because it’s a part of entertainment that gives me the access to engage people with beautiful jokes.

What measures do you think should be put in place to make comedy more lucrative in Nigeria?

It is simply by creating better structures for content monetization, and also platforms for talented youth to flourish. There are thousands of talented youths out there. These rising stars need to be given the opportunity to be seen and heard.

How is your relationship with your family like?

I am lucky enough to have siblings that are in entertainment and have been successful in that field. I am from a family of four and I happen to be the lastborn, so it’s a lot easier for me to get acceptance from them. They have been very supportive too.

Aside comedy, what else do you do?

Aside comedy, I work as a brand influencer to small and large-scale businesses. I also work as head of logistics for an entertainment company, Sea Grin Media. As a content provider, I write scripts for movies and television series. I recently got an endorsement deal with a company, Onpoint Sales.

What’s the scariest thing you ever did?

The scariest thing I ever did was to use my final year school fees to contest for an election. I was then an undergraduate of Delta State University, Abraka. The beautiful thing was that I won the election and became the Director of Socials.

What are you working on presently?

It’s ‘Jobless Neighbour’, which started as an idea of engaging my fans and followers online. While doing this, we started receiving commendation from people, which made us to improve the idea of the skit and made it a lot more bigger and better. Today, we have about 10 people working on the project. But currently, I am focused on building my brand and ensuring that Ekene Smith is a household name in the Nigerian entertainment space.

Are you in a relationship?

No, I’m not ready yet.

What’s your kind of woman?

My kind of woman is someone that understands the essence of growth, happiness and understanding, because with these three things in place, the longevity of the relationship is certain.

Where do you see yourself in the next five years?

I see myself hosting my own (comedy) shows in Nigeria and abroad. I want to extend my online series to cable channels and a lot of bigger platforms. I want to continue to create new jokes and materials that will cut across.