MC Lively (born Michael Sani Amanesi on 14 August 1992; Age: 31 years old) is a renowned Nigerian comedian, actor, lawyer, host, and social media influencer. He has an estimated net worth of $120,000 and is ranked as one of the most popular comedians in Nigeria.
MC Lively has grown over the years and has become a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian entertainment industry. He has been acknowledged as one of the funniest comedians in Nigeria, and as an actor, he has featured in Our President’s Money (2022), Wedding in Nigeria (2022), Dinner at my Place (2022), and Aki and Pawpaw (2021).
Summary of MC Lively’s Biography
- Full name: Michael Sani Amanesi
- Nickname: MC Lively, Agidi, Barrister Mike (BM)
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 14 August 1992
- MC Lively’s Age: 31 years old
- Ethnicity: Edo
- Nationality: Nigeria
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- MC Lively’s Parents: Mr. Alunyo Gabriel and Mrs. Martha Charity Sani
- Siblings: Emmanuel Sani (brother), Francis Sani (brother), Joseph Osizehmete (brother), and Mary Odufa Sani (sister)
- Education: Ideal Nursery and Primary School Osun State; Moremi High secondary School; Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U), Ife
- MC Lively’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 10 inches
- His Height in Centimetres: 178 cm
- Weight: Estimated between 68kg-83kg
- MC Lively’s Net worth: $120,000 (Estimated)
- Famous for: Comedy, Acting, Mastering of Ceremony
- MC Lively’s Instagram: @MC_Lively
- Twitter: @Lively
- Facebook: Mc Lively
- TikTok: @mclively
Where Is MC Lively From?
Christened Michael Sani Amanesi, MC Lively was born on 14 August 1992 into the family of Mr. Alunyo Gabriel and Mrs. Martha Charity Sani. He is originally from Agenebode, Edo State but was born and brought up in Ile Ife, Osun State.
He is the second child among five children. His siblings consist of professionals in different fields such as pharmacy, creative design, and real estate. The family is made up of four boys – MC Lively, Francis Sani, Emmanuel Sani, Joseph Osizehmete, and one girl, Mary Odufa Sani.
The family however recently experienced the loss of Emmanuel Sani (also known as Showki), a pharmacist who was the first child of the family on 30 October 2020. Emmanuel died in his 30s and the cause of death remains unknown to the public.
With respect to MC Lively’s early life, he was raised by his parents. Yet, the comedian had mostly felt like an adopted rather than a legitimate child. This was due to the severity of the beating he received from his mother.
He was considered the black sheep of the family who got mixed up with the wrong crowd. Strengthening his resolve of feeling like an unwanted child in the family was how he alone had to attend public schools due to financial constraints while all his siblings attended private schools. Well, Lively has not refrained from referring to himself as a stubborn child who gave his parents a hard time raising him.
Is MC Lively a Lawyer?
His educational journey began from the root of his birthplace in Ile Ife. There, he attended Ideal Nursery and Primary School.
He then went on to graduate from Moremi Secondary School and sat for his first Joint Admission and Matriculation Board Examinations (JAMB) in 2007. MC Lively who had initially registered to study English failed after two JAMB sittings and decided to try his hands at the possibility of studying Law.
This change of course came with good tidings to the comedian as he gained admission to study Law at the Obafemi Awolowo University after scoring 300 points in his JAMB. Even though he was not really passionate about Law from the beginning, he excelled at it.
Rather than focusing only on his studies, Lively was involved in several other things, including entertainment. He started to gain notoriety as an MC as he began to get involved in hosting and working as an MC at events in school, mostly for free or for a token.
He graduated from the University in 2015 with a second-class upper degree and was called to bar a year after. In Law school, he was already working hard at becoming a comedian despite having a law degree as a professional option.
MC Lively’s Net Worth and Career Journey
Lively has an estimated net worth of $120,000 which is an equivalent of 547.4 million Naira. This figure is the most popular opinion on the internet, yet, the comedian has not given a nod nor debunked this citation.
Discussing Lively’s net worth cannot be complete without taking a close look at his career which began while he was an undergraduate student. Hence, ascertaining MC Lively’s net worth has led to the discovery of the skit maker’s other sources of income asides from comedy and skit making. Putting this in mind, here is the career journey of Lively and how he has accumulated his wealth.
MC Lively Started His Comedy Career Around the Age of 23
While at Obafemi Awolowo University (O.A.U) as a fresh 100-level student, he was known as Michael Sani Amanesi until his friends began referring to him as “lively and disturbing”. Seeing as he was always either making jokes, teasing, or being involved in politics, as well as social gatherings in school he was tagged a lively person. Soon enough, he went into event hosting proper and decided to use the name “MC Lively” which has stuck since then.
With this name, he started to make a mark that cannot be erased for a long time. Yet, this earliest phase of his career did not come with a great fortune since he hosted many shows for free.
At about the time he was about 23 to 24 years old in 2015/2016, the Edo State native began making content from Law School.
He Worked Briefly at a Law Firm
After completing Law School, Lively did not instantly gain fame as a comedian or skit maker. Rather, he went for a compulsory one-year Youth Service (NYSC). At the time, he served at a law firm in 2017 where he was reportedly paid ₦5,000.
At that point, he realized that he could make choices he felt were going to benefit him better. Those choices include skit-making, and posting videos online while slowly moving his way up the entertainment industry ladder.
MC Lively Became Famous in 2017 as Agidi
Following one of his comic videos over fuel scarcity, MC Lively went viral online in September 2017 when he played the role of Agidi in the skit. MC Lively has integrated heavily, making use of social media as an avenue to promote his business. He referred to his craft as “comic acting” rather than stand-up comedy to which many comedians belong.
Even though his early days as a comedian involved a little standup comedy, he realized after several failed attempts to get his audience laughing at his jokes on stage that he was not meant for such. He has since stuck to making funny videos and creating content online instead.
Agidi as he is called has a line of comedy that may be termed unique. He makes use of real-life situations and turns them into comedy to pass across messages and lessons. His comedy surrounds the persona of a lawyer (portraying his original profession on lighter grounds) called Barrister Mike or Agidi. He prefers to perform at more formal events rather than standup comedy.
As a comedian, Lively has brought laughter to many viewers of his skits. He is also notable for his Yoruba accent, as well as for collaborating with other famous people to create his comedy.
List of MC Lively’s Comedy Shows
- NEWS @ 10 with Barrister Mike (2023)
- Agent L & The Crazy Gilfriend Ft. Sasskay (2023)
- The Good Samaritan (2022)
- Once Bitten, Twice Shy!!! (2022)
- The Dreamer (2022)
- Delivery Gone Horribly Wrong (2022)
- Prophet Miracle ft. Kevin Ikeduba (2022)
- Agent L.., “The HELLBRINGER” (2022)
- Check my Balance!! ft. Morgan Nwaba & Shola (2022)
- Barrister Mike The Marketer (2022)
- The Interviewer from Hell (2022)
- When Your Enemy Has a Good Memory (2021)
- Barrister Mike X Investor Sabinus (2021)
He Began Acting in Nigerian Films in 2018
His acting career kickstarted in the same year he became famous for his comedy. MC Lively has acted in several movies, one of which was his first role in a movie directed by Mike Ezuruonye and starred actors like Mercy Aigbe, Nedu Wazobia, Odunlade Adekola, and Nonso Diobi in 2018. The movie called Lagos Real Fake Life is based on the normal day-to-day lifestyle of the people of Lagos whether real or fake.
He also acted in the movie Seven and a Half Dates with the likes of Fathia Balogun, Mercy Johnson Okojie, Sola Sobowale, Toyin Abraham, Ken Erics, and Jim Iyke. The movie which was released in 2018 was directed by Biodun Stephen and produced by Toyin Abraham and Samuel Olatunji. In a way, the movies were a huge help in exposing and bringing MC Lively to the spotlight quickly.
Over the years, he has acted in several other movies and co-starred alongside actors like Tina Mba, Ireti Doyle, Jide Kosoko, Lateef Adedimeji, Timini Egbuson, Bisola Aiyeola, Nancy Isime, Imoh Eboh, Yemi Solade, Kunle Remi, and Sophie Alakija.
So far, his most popular and notable movies are the Fate of Alakada (2020) and Introducing the Kujus (2020).
Other notable actors he has worked alongside are Ronke Odusanya, Mercy Eke, Temisan Emmanuel, Kehinde Bankole, Ali Nuhu, and many more.
MC Lively’s Filmography
- Survivors (2022)
- Our President’s Money (2022)
- Top Boy (2022)– TV Series
- Dinner at My Place (2022)
- Wedding In Nigeria (2022)
- Breaded Life (2021)
- The Razz Guy (2021)
- After Party (2021)
- Aki and Pawpaw (2021)
- Online (2021)
- Dream Job (2021)
- Sisi Eko (2021) –TV Series
- Introducing the Kujus (2020)
- Fate of Alakada (2020)
- Dear Affy (2020)
- Lagos Real Fake Life (2018)
- Seven and a Half Dates (2018)
MC Lively’s Awards and Recognitions Received
Throughout his career, Lively has received several accolades for his contribution to the Nigerian entertainment industry. They include:
- He was recognized by the Ooni of Ife for the Royal African Youth Leadership
- MC Lively received a City People Award for Comedy Act of the Year (2019)
- MC Lively has been nominated for the GAGE Awards for Online Comedy of the Year (2021)
Endorsements and Partnership Deals Also Contribute to MC Lively’s Net Worth
MC Lively has had his fair share of endorsement deals, paid partnerships, and recognition from brands and companies. Some of the brands he has worked with are listed below.
- Rolad Properties and Allied Services Limited: the real estate company, in 2021 announced a signed endorsement deal with MC Lively also known as Barrister Mike. He went into a one-year deal with the company as a brand ambassador. Rolad’s Properties also has the actor Eyinna Nwigwe as a brand ambassador
- JTech Global Resources LTD: is an online financial service provider and another brand Lively has worked as a brand ambassador
- 1X Bet: this brand has been in collaboration with MC Lively since 2020. The partnership is believed to be a lucrative one as it is a large company
Other brands that MC Lively has partnered with are:
- Predator Energy Drink: an affordable energy drink by Monter Energy
- Samsung Nigeria: a company that specializes in the production of electronics
- Mr. Dowell’s Nigeria: a large whiskey brand produced ad marketed by Guinness Nigeria Plc
- Zenith Bank: a renowned financial institution
- Standard Chartered Bank: a popular financial institution
His YouTube Channel and other Social Media Accounts Serve as a Source of Income
YouTube in recent times has become an avenue for artists to showcase their talent and gain recognition. Since MC Lively joined the platform in 2016, he has been able to attract over 340,000 subscribers and a whopping 47 million views on the channel with over 400 videos. According to a source, he makes $229 monthly and about $4,800 annually from his youtube page.
On average, he commands over 4 million followers on his Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Tiktok altogether.
Largely, Instagram is a high-income-generating platform. According to research, one can generate approximately $670 per 1 million followers in America and at least $223 in Nigeria.
Applying this to MC Lively who has over 2 million followers on Instagram, he is likely to make about ₦256,000 at ₦460/$1 per post on his Instagram page alone. If he is able to post (mostly in terms of paid partnership ad brand influencing), he may make up to a million in a month.
Charging for post, adverts, and flyers come at a cost for many high-profile celebrities with large followership. Based on his popularity and influence, he may charge at least ₦100,000 for such publicity posts and even higher for advert rates.
How Much Does MC Lively Charge for Event Hosting?
MC Lively adopted the character of a performer and master of ceremony early in life. Being called lively is not just a name but a character that has put him in high demand in social scenes.
He caters to weddings, dinners, and corporate and social events around the country. Although his actual present charging fee is not determined, it is however a known fact that some of his counterparts and legends in the industry charge a range between one to five million nairas to host shows and some others lower.
Moreso, comedians such as Alibaba, Gbenga Adeyinka, Julius Agwu, Basket Mouth, Bovi, and AY, are said to charge multimillions to host events.
According to some sources, MC Lively charged ₦70,000 for weddings and birthdays and ₦120,000 for corporate events as of 2017 when he started from scratch. Over the years, however, his popularity as a master of the ceremony has grown speedily and gained him ground and acceptance in different fields of endeavor. He now hosts events and weddings frequently and is in high demand.
Not only is he an entertainer, but he is also the co-founder of “Livelyhood Entertainment”. Under his entertainment outfit, he has been able to host over 200 events and create video content.