When the richest man in Africa , Aliko Dangote ,
decides to party , it is expected that cash will flow .
Many believe that all the entertainers and vendors
that were contracted for one service or the other at
the wedding of Fatima , the daughter of billionaire
businessman, Dangote , went laughing all the way to
the bank after the event .


However , ace comedian , Atunyota Akpobome , better
known as Ali Baba, said he did not charge a dime for
his service at the wedding . He had earlier said this
on his Instagram page.

When Sunday Scoop reached out to him , he restated his earlier position . He said , “ Dangote is my friend and I chose to play a part in the wedding ceremony of his daughter for free . I
have done a lot of events for him such as dinners ,
luncheons , award ceremonies , among other events
and I was nicely paid . For instance , if ( former
President Olusegun ) Obasanjo , calls me for an event ,
I would handle the event for free because of my
relationship with him . If he then offers me anything
out of the abundance of his heart , I would take it . I
don ’ t see why anybody should raise eyebrows over
my decision. Other comedians were there and they
did well . ”


On whether he advised his younger colleagues to
perform for free too at the classy wedding, Ali Baba
said , “ It depends on the kind of relationship each
individual has with him . I ’ m not the one to tell
anybody what to charge . ”


Mentioning lessons he took away from the event , Ali
said , “ The major lesson I learnt from that event is
that friends always support their friends . ”


Meanwhile , the comedian had earlier complained
about how daunting it was to control the crowd
during the wedding . In a social media post , Ali Baba
had said , “ The challenge of being an MC at a state
function can be daunting. After dealing with protocol ,
then come the issues of timing and duration. There
seems to be a long journey towards achieving the
seeming decorum …” However , when Sunday Scoop
asked him how he handled the challenge of
‘ controlling’ the VIPs at the event , Ali simply said , “ I
did not get in trouble with anybody ; everything was
professionally done . I did my job and I never felt
intimidated throughout the event . ”


Explaining that he has been in talks with government
authorities over the better preservation of the
country’ s resources, Ali said , “ I have reached out to
some government authorities but I cannot say much
about it now because it is still a work in progress. ”
On whether he gave the new couple a gift, Ali Baba
said , “ I was there and I believe that the best present
you can give anybody is your presence . ”

Rich people spend less when they have events, because everybody is their friends