How the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’ emerged biggest comedy investment in Niger Delta

The comedy show, ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, is an annual event in Port Harcourt every Easther Monday. It is created and managed by K.O. Baba Jornsen who has emerged as the biggest comedian in the oil region.

He has revealed how the show the show that started in a corner of Diobu, a volatile part of PH, has become a global brand. K.O Baba said he struggled as a master of ceremony and suffered the pains of not being considered for slots at big events as a comedian, but that he pressed on until the industry accepted him as a talent and later as a leader, with sold-out shows every year. Now, international brands seek him.

At the unveiling of the 2026 edition, K.O Baba told the story of the creation of the ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’.

He said he became so popular and influential in PH that some persons began to push him to contest for chairman of PH also known as Mayor of Port Harcourt.

“Somone even created a hype about it and soon, calls were coming from all over, even from outside Nigeria. An idea hit me and I decided to turn it into comedy. I called myself the Mayor of Pitakwa, using the informal name of Port Harcourt. The joke stuck and my street recognition plus stage name became ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’.

He noted that he is known for big dreams and big ambitions. I moved my show to the biggest event centres in Port Harcourt, something unheard of in the comedy industry in the Niger Delta.”

In 2020, he aimed to mount a big show but that COVID-19 dealt him a big blow and threw him into huge debts. “I waited it out, followed protocol and staged it again in 2021, and God showed up for me. It recorded huge success and we made huge profit such that those who refused to sponsor us began to beg to join in subsequent years.

“We now began to look for the biggest event centres in Port Harcourt to demonstrate the power of Port Harcourt in the entertainment industry, to show this city can pull the biggest and heaviest crowds in comedy and entertainment. So, we located the biggest, EUI Centre in New GRA. Yet, the halls cannot contain our crowds, paying crowds. Our successes began to shake the nation and make bigger cities shake.”

Read also: Port Harcourt multibillion naira comedy industry attracts global attention as K.O Baba raises stakes

K.O Baba talked about his experience with banks that gave him loan for failed shows. He named one bank that arrested his manager. He said he walked straight into the bank with huge courage and shouted in the bank. He said they had to apologise.

Now, he said, he is turning down sponsors and banks. This is because his show has become a leader in Port Harcourt’s multibillion naira comedy industry which he said now attracts global attention.

He said he now eyes not just Lagos and Abuja but UK and US cities. His brand is said to have boosted other comedy shows in the Garden City that also attract large sellouts and international attention.

The 2026 show:

K.O Baba said the show is now so big that he has to start preparations nine months ahead. This he said is because many sponsors have come in and visibility needed to be created for them.

The headline sponsor is said to be Sollong Web 3 phone group led in Nigeria by Solomon Esor, a retired captain of the army. The 2026 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.

He made it clear why he uses 80% local talents in his shows, especially the biggest show, ‘Mayor of Pitakwa’, saying it is because he wants to put Port Harcourt on the global map with comedy.

Revealing more, the investor 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 named the theme for 2026 as: ‘The Mayor and the 12 Kings’, with tickets as low as N10,000 but as high as N10m pe table.

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. 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.