The comedy industry in Port Harcourt is said to have grown into multibillions per year and is now attracting global attention, viewership, and foreign sponsorships.
This is K. O. Baba Jornsen, pushing the annual comedy show known as the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, is set to push for international performances, eyeing the UK and US markets.
Already, the annual show is said to make waves outside Nigeria to the extent that some foreign sponsors have indicated interest to use the show to reach the youths of the Niger Delta, after allegedly reviewing past performances which where halls were filled up and tickets sold out days before the shows.
This is said to have boosted other comedy shows in the Garden City that also attract large sellouts and international attention.
For 2026, a foreign android phone brand, Sollong, is said to have snapped the headline sponsor of the event billed for Easther Monday, 2026, while other sponsors are said to line up for slots.
The event logo and the phone were unveiled on July 6, 2025, at the topnotch Osborn La-Palmer Event Centre off Abacha Road at the New GRA in Port Harcourt.
Jornsen (K.O Baba) made it clear from the onset he was out to put Port Harcourt on the global map with comedy.
Revealing the secrets of Port Harcourt entertainment industry, the Comedian-In-Chief, investor and astute business executive he deploys local talents to occupy at least 80% of the comedians that would feature in ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’ shows every year. He said he is bent on building the comedy industry in Port Harcourt to compete with those of the biggest cities in the world.
He said: “My desire is to promote local content and show that you must not have to move over to Lagos as only way to succeed in the entertainment industry. It makes the local talents better and bigger. We want to show that your environment cannot limit you. It’s you that can limit yourself.”
He said his brand has become so strong globally that some teams from the United Nations agencies sought him and one other comedian out as platforms that have achieved consistency and are strong enough to reach the youths.
The Akwa Ibom-born but Diobu Port Harcourt brought up declared that he stood to defy the notion that a talent must flee to Lagos to make it in the entertainment industry. “Without fleeing to Lagos, I have made it, and I want to make it bigger in April 2026. Big brands are now backing us.”
He named the theme for 2026 as: ‘The Mayor and the 12 Kings’. The theme for 2025 was ‘Legends’; 2024 was ‘They Like to Fool Us’.
On what would make 2026 different and stronger, the man described as a workaholic said: “We shall stream the show in 12 cities and each city will produce a top comedian to participate. Activities will stretch to two days but main comedy day will be one day, Easter Monday.”
He said he did not mind spending big just to make his show topnotch and world class. He declared: “Port Harcourt will no longer play second fiddle as far as Comedy is concerned. We give our sponsors huge visibility, not just on the brochure but on about 200 billboards around the city for 2026.”
Officials hinted that tickets would range between N10,000 to N10m. On why the organisers started nine months ahead, K.O Baba said: “We want to try many new things especially streaming to 12 cities, two days event, and need to create things beyond comedy. We want to dare the impossible. We will be presenting sponsors as we go till close to event.”
He used the opportunity to debunk impression that comedians in Port Harcourt were haughty and narrowminded, saying: “Comedians are rather the most visible and friendly entertainers. In fact, they use comedians to define the entertainment industry.”
The event promoter and entertainment investor who deploys several hundreds of millions of naira to organize one show, took the pressmen through the journey that led to the discovery of the brand, ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, saying it was to deflect the calls for him to run for seat of Mayor Port Harcourt, even when he was not from Rivers State, let alone from Port Harcourt.
He showed how getting a role as comedian in a show was difficult and how he used the role of a master of ceremony to build early clientele.
Today, he said, he is the one inviting and giving roles to the biggest comedians in Nigeria, now eyeing international shows.
He narrated how COVID-19 struck his show in 2020, sinking several tens of millions and pushing into huge debts, but as a strong-willed entrepreneur, he remained resilient and pulled through.
Today, he noted, big banks and sponsors are the ones chasing him about for sponsorship. He said he is choosy these days on who he allowed to sponsor ‘The Mayor of Pitakwa’ show. He advised young business people to remain resilient.
The headline sponsor, Sollong Web 3 Phone group, led by Solomon Esor, the CEO of Crypto Consulting Ltd, a retired military captain, talked about how they saw the PH crowds on video clips and resolved to come to the Garden City to have a peep in. He said his foreign partners were impressed with the show in PH.
Esor said K.O Baba’s name rings a bell outside Nigeria and that to command the brand name of ‘mayor’ meant a lot because most mayors in the US end up as governors and presidential challengers.
He said: “We have a unique phone brand and we dare say that the new world is being ruled by crypto, blockchain, web3, etc. If you are not in any of these, you are being left behind.”
Explaining the features of the new phone that may be as high as N7.2m, Eremi Ene, regarded as a Web 3 goddess (product manager), said if your phones takes money from you through recharge and repairs without bringing back, then it is bad. She said; “We have a phone that pays you 1% of cost of purchase every day for life. It works with Invidia, one of the richest companies in the world. It works by buying idle space in your phone to sell to other countries that do not have enough.”
A woman, Dorcas Okah, co-partner of crypto consulting Ltd and distributor of Sollong phones, testified to the reality of the phone.
Mudiaga Ogheneovo, a comedian and K.O. Baba’s longtime friend, described the Mayor of Pitakwa as one who never got tired. “His show is one of the best in Nigeria and can beat the best in other cities. He is a workaholic that promotes Talkaholic show. He did 100 billboards in 2025 and is aiming to do 200 in next edition. Its huge.”
An uprising event management expert in the city, Nia’bari Fakae, Creative Director, Oxygen Ivy, said the show has a value chain and it opens windows for investors and economic activities along that chain.
“It has a plethora of products that would queue into the show. Many persons will participate. The impact is huge. Sponsors would want to be on the front row. You can see that K.O Baba is now selective in brands to admit. He now wants clean, credible sponsors.”
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
