Umaru Yar’Adua had great sense of humour – Ali Baba

Ali Baba Alibaba

Foremost comedian, Ali Baba, has revealed that former Nigerian president, Umaru Yar’Adua, had a great sense of humour.

Yar’Adua was the 13th president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he was declared the winner of 2007 presidential elections.

Ali Baba, 53, shared an experience with the deceased politician via Instagram on Sunday.

Sharing a picture of Yar’Adua, he wrote: “I met the President Elect for the Second time. First time was at a dinner for Habib Bank, at the Lagoon Restaurant, in Lagos. This time, I shook his hand, and he said “President’s Friend” (Actually Fresident’s Priend, but let’s move on). ‘Excellency Sir, I am at your service.’ And he laughed. Very short laughter.

“Made to walk away, stopped, turned to me and said, “You say OBASANJA is stingy, ZA KU GA.” And all the people he was with burst into laughter. I was not so lost, because I figured he said ‘You will hear wen’.

“Very often, many believe that people who in positions of authority and are firm or strong disciplinarians and of the no non-sense kind, have no sense of humour.”

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May 26, 2007: This time, 12 years ago, @lepaciousbose and I were in Kastina State, for a State Dinner in honour of the President Elect. It was the first presidential event we worked on together. "Lepa will you do an event in Kastina?" Yes. "How much will you take?" Negotiate for me. We had to fly to a neighbouring state, before journeying by Road. On arrival, we were checked in into different residences. At first, when I got to mine, I thought, "What! are they joking? From Lagos to this kind of place?" Then I entered. Don't judge a book by its cover. It was a beautifully decortaed luxurious apartment. Was showed my room and i freshened up, and was down before 7pm. At the venue, I met the President Elect for the Second time. First time was at a dinner for Habib Bank, at the Lagoon Restaurant, in Lagos. This time, I shook his hand, and he said "President's Friend" (Actually Fresident's Priend, but let's move on). "Excellency Sir, I am at your service." And he laughed. Very short laughter. Made to walk away, stopped, turned to me and said, "You say OBASANJA is stingy, ZA KU GA." And all the people he was with burst into laughter. I was not so lost, because I figured he said "You will hear wen". Very often, many believe that people who in positions of authority and are firm or strong disciplinarians and of the no non-sense kind, have no sense of humour. I remember walking pass the massive tent that @lepasciousbose was in and they were laughing hysterically. My point, many people may appear to lack sense of humour by your own standards… But trust me, humour can be a factor of factors different from yours.

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Last Friday, Ali Baba had said that telecommunication companies should be made to pay kidnap ransoms negotiated over phones.