Before Stardom With… Basira Alako

Was being an entertainer your childhood dream?

No, it wasn’t. But my mum wanted me to be an actor. She attended several auditions and did a few movies.

What prompted you to start making skits?

I sing Islamic songs and I released an album which prompted me to utilise social media to promote it. Before then, I normally prank my mum to tease her. About four years ago, a video I made where I teased her had over 400,000 views. Since then I have been making videos with her and posting them on my social media platforms.

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How do you get your mum to do the skits with you?

I am the last child and only girl in the family so I’m pretty close to my mum. However, my mum gets reluctant sometimes to do the skits with me. My mum is a petty trader, whenever I want to do the videos, I patronise her and buy goods worth N200 to make her oblige to my request. When she goes out and people start calling her ”Iya Basira,’ she becomes surprised and wonders how people recognised her because she is not on social media. She later found out it was through the skits. This made her get more involved in them.

What is the idea behind your skits?

My skits are basically the everyday acts of a typical Nigerian mum. Sometimes my mum is unaware I’m recording and that’s her normal way of reacting to issues. Most times I would tease her and she would flare up or react in a funny way. I get ideas from watching and discussing with older people in the area where I live and how they interact with their children.

You recently signed an endorsement deal with a company. How would you describe the recognition?

The fame has been good. It is me fulfilling my mum’s dream. She wanted to be a movie actress and was featured in some movies. This is one of her dreams and I’m fulfilling it. Though there isn’t much money in it for now, the recognition is there. Ultimately, I’m happy fulfilling her dream.

What are some of the challenges you have faced as a skit masker?

Before now, no one knew or recognised me. But currently, when I walk around, people recognise me and this is affecting my skits. At times, when I’m trying to round off the recording of a skit, I get people hugging me from behind, greeting me. I just have to smile and appreciate them but the recording would start all over again. Also, where I stay is noisy and I can do little about that. This makes me struggle a lot when making the skits to avoid interference. Sometimes, I have to buy candies for the children to make them stay quiet for a while.

How did you come about the name, ‘Basira Alako’?

When I was still in school, I bought a high-heeled shoe to use in the house while making videos of myself and teased my mum that she cannot put on such a shoe. This made my neighbours call me ‘Basira Alako.’ The video I first posted on Facebook that got 400,000 views had the name. When I wanted to open a Tiktok account, I decided to continue using the name so my viewers would know it’s the same person.

Are you still friends with those you knew before now?

Yes, I’m still friends with them. I have about three friends, and though we don’t see each other frequently, we keep in touch every day.

What other thing do you do apart from skit making?

I am a hairdresser and plan to start a hairdressing shop with sales of hair accessories once I conclude the National Youth Service Corps scheme I’m currently undergoing. I wouldn’t necessarily be making hair so I can have time for my skits. I also want to do more in the entertainment industry, especially acting.

What is your advice to young people like you who want to venture into skit-making?

I will advise them to keep trying, pushing, and being prayerful. If what they start with is not working out, they can take it to another level by venturing into something else. I started with Islamic music and spent a lot of money doing videos from the money I gathered during industrial training but it didn’t yield anything. When I delved into skit-making with my mum, it yielded results. I don’t even know how to sing anymore. It’s all about making skits now.