Barely a year after he drew the curtial of “Dr. Smile Unusual” Comedy Show in Abeokuta, the famous popular stand-up comedian and master of ceremonies, Olamilekan Abegunde, a.k.a Dr Smile, has announced a new show tagged “Why not smile” in Ogun State capital.
In May 2022, Dr Smile shocked millions of his fans as he drew the curtain of the “Dr Smile Unusual” show in Abeokuta, Ogun State, after completion of its seventh edition.
The yearly show “DrSmile Unusual” always featured upcoming and established comedians, musicians and other entertainers.
But what started like a joke during last year’s show at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) Marquee event centre, Dr Smile told his audience that “this will be my last show in Abeokuta.”
However, the popular comedian on Tuesday said he has unfinished business in the “Rock City” as he announced a new show on November 12.
The humour marchant spoke on Tuesday at a press conference to herald his comedy show, tagged, “Why Not Smile”, in Abeokuta.
According to Dr. Smile, A-list comedians, including Alibaba, Julius Agwu, Basket Mouth, Seyi Law, Josh 2 Funny and Kenny Blaq, among others are expected to perform at the show.
He said he considered returning his show to Abeokuta because the state capital is not doing well in the creative industry.
Dr Smile also noted that there is a need to create a platform for the young talents to grow and take over from the old generation.
“I never left Abeokuta. What I said was that I am done with shows in Abeokuta because shows in Abeokuta are not profitable.
“But I came back to Abeokuta because I noticed the guys I left Abeokuta for are not really doing the job the way they should do it.
“Secondly, there is no platform for them to showcase their talents. They don’t have the place of rehearsals like the days of Lagbaja, the motherland. Lagbaja motherland was a place of rehearsals for the comedians in Lagos. There, people had where they could testrun their talents monthly.
“So, I took it upon myself to create a platform for them to grow. I have been able to grow because some people gave me a platform. But this younger generation has the platforms that I had when I was growing up. I said let me just create the platform. ‘Why not smile’ is not for money making, if it’s for money making, I wont sell my regular ticket for N3,000 and I wont sell my table for N150,000. Dr Smile Unusual table goes for N1,000, ‘s N500,000. So, if I am coming to sell for N150,000, you should know it’s not because of the financial gains,” he said
‘I Am Not Impressed By The Performance Of Abeokuta Comedians’
“So, I am coming back to Abeokuta just to help the up and coming ones. I have seen them perform back to back and I am not really impressed.
“With due respect to all young comedians in Abeokuta, I am not really impressed with what I saw when I saw them on stage. So, I decided to say ‘maybe I have failed in that aspect, that I have not been able to create a place for them to have rehearsal. They just leave home and straight to the big stage, that’s why I just started the ‘why not smile’ show,” Dr Smile said.
Ogun Govt Killing Entertainment Industry, He Laments
He lamented that the governor Dapo Abiodun – led administration has killed the entertainment industry in Ogun state.
Dr. Smile said it was regrettable that the government has not been supporting the entertainment industry, noting that this has forced many players in the industry to abandon Ogun for other states in hosting their shows and events.
Dr. Smile who cited the example of the African Drums Festival which was introduced by the last administration, but sustained by the Abiodun – led administration.
According to him, the entertainment industry has the capacity to generate revenue and drive the economy of the state.
He said, “Our government, particularly the Ogun state government must do more in the development of the entertainment industry.
“It is a shame that the current administration in the state has killed the entertainment industry. Ogun state used to the hotspot for entertainment events in SouthWest, apart from Lagos state, but what we have seen in the recent time is that, this government has not been encouraging players in the industry to host events and this has stifled the growth of the industry.
“Government also has a lot to do in providing a conducive environment for the entertainment industry to thrive. A lot of players in the industry have been taking their events to neighbouring States, like Lagos, Oyo and even Osun.
“So many people have said, the Governor is not entertainment friendly, that he is not keen in developing the entertainment industry and empowering the youths and I think some of us can see things for ourselves.
“I have never seen any major entertainment event sponsored by the state government which is very bad and killing the industry.
“The government needs to come in and support this industry so that it can grow. Look at when happened in Lagos two or three days ago, where we saw governor Babajode Sanwo-Olu appearing on the runaway of a fashion show, this is what we are praying for in Ogun state.”
