Oga Sabinus (born Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu on 30 January in the 1990s) is a famous Nigerian comedian, skit maker, actor, and social media influencer. He hails from Rivers State, Niger Delta, and has an estimated net worth of $500,000 (₦230.2 million).
The growth of Oga Sabinus in the entertainment industry has been one of the most interesting ones in Nigeria. He is one of the fastest-rising content creators and skit makers there is. His spontaneity and linking his comedy to real situations have helped his audience connect to his blend of comedy naturally. With this, he has accumulated numerous awards such as the 2022 AMVCA awards for Best Content Creator and the 2022 GAGE Awards for Online Comedian of the Year.
Summary of Oga Sabinus’ Bio
- Full name: Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu
- Nickname: Oga Sabinus, Mr. Funny, Mumu Man, Investor Sabinus
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 30 January in the 1990s
- Ethnicity: Ikwerre
- Nationality: Nigerian
- Zodiac Sign: Aquarius
- Education: Princess International College; University of Port Harcourt
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- Sabinus’ Parents: Mr. & Mrs. Dennis Ejekwu
- His Siblings: Josephine Adaeze Ejekwu and Emmanuella Ejekwu
- Sabinus’ Height in Inches: 5 feet 6 inches
- Height in Centimetres: 168 cm
- Sabinus’ Weight: 80kg (Estimated)
- Sabinus Net worth: $500,000 (₦230.2 million)
- Famous for: Comedy, Acting, Video Creator, Social Influencer
- Sabinus’ Instagram: @mrfunny1_
- Twitter: @Sabinus1_
- Facebook: Mrfunny_
What is Sabinus’ Real Name?
Oga Sabinus’ real name is Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu. He celebrates his birthday on the 30th of January each year. While most sources suggest that he was born in 1995 and is 29 years old, others suggest that he was born in 1990 and is 34 years old.
In any case, he goes by the aliases such as Mr. Funny, Oga Sabinus, Mumu Man, and Investor Sabinus. He uses the name Emmanuel Chukwuemeka Ejekwu in only formal situations as many mostly recognize him by his stage name.
The nickname Sabinus came about in 2020 during a skit shoot when he was purportedly supposed to pick a name for himself during a shoot. Initially, he did not have a particular name choice for the episode until “Sabinus” came to mind and he decided to use it.
He however did not envision that the name would be the beginning of a bigger brand than his original stage name Mr. Funny. The now popular name Sabinus is a pidgin name meaning a genius.
Where is Sabinus From and What is His State of Origin?
Oga Sabinus is from Port Harcourt, Rivers State in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria. He was also born and bred in the oil-rich State. Mr. Funny belongs to the Ikwerre tribe (one of the subgroups of the Igbo Language found in Rivers State) which is also one of the largest ethnic groups in the state.
Despite growing up in a humble background, Sabinus’ parents, Mr.& Mrs. Dennis Ejekwu made sure that they spent their earnings on providing him and his siblings with a good life and training. His family is made up of three children publicly known, including the comedian and two sisters, Josephine Adaeze Ejekwu and Emmanuella Ejekwu.
Most of Sabinus’ upbringing and education were in Port Harcourt. In 2019, he moved to Lagos to chase after his dream of becoming a well-known comedy artist in Nigeria and internationally. Oga Sabinus received his O’level school certificate from Princess International College, Port Harcourt.
He gained admission to study at the department of Linguistics and Communications, University of Port Harcourt where he bagged a Bachelor of Arts degree much to the displeasure of his father who wished for him to study law.
What is Oga Sabinus’ Net Worth in Naira?
Oga Sabinus’ net worth is about ₦230.2 million. This is the equivalent of $500,000. Despite the fact that different sources have reported different amounts, this is the common amount associated with him.
Whatever the case, Sabinus is one of the richest skit makers in Nigeria. He has recorded his wealth from different sources which include stand-up comedy, skit-making, running a successful YouTube channel, acting, endorsements, and promotions. Here is a breakdown of how Oga Sabinus made his wealth.
Oga Sabinus Started Comedy During his School Days
By and large, Oga Sabinus’ comedy career began in 2015. However, before delving into comedy, he worked with an IT service and consulting firm known as Silverline Technology Limited. It was at that point that he started earning and also started accumulating what grew to become his $500,000 net worth.
With respect to how he became a comedian, Mr. Funny discovered his career calling during his secondary school days at Princess International College. He would gather his peers and students in school to mimic his teachers while they listened and laughed at his antics.
Years down the line, at the University of Port Harcourt, Mr. Funny or Sabinus was part of a comedy group of two called Bottle and Strong. They were a small unit involved in stand-up comedy although getting the crowd to accept them was not an easy feat as they were once chased out of a competition arena by the crowd for performing badly.
He Recorded his Breakthrough in 2019 Thanks to his Skits
In 2016, Oga Sabinus decided to go into skit-making for fun not expecting much income to be generated from it. His passion and drive for art however gave him the tenacity not to give up on his dream as a comedian until his fame broke through the internet. His breakthrough came in 2019 when top celebrities and influencers like Don Jazzy and Tunde Ednut stumbled on his skits and started to promote his content on social media pages. He did not relent but continued to churn out rib-cracking content.
Some of Sabinus’ mentors in the entertainment industry are John Okafor (Mr. Ibu), Charles Inojie, and Nkem Owoh. Consequently, he has not only built a brand as one of the funniest Nigerian comedians but has gone into the Nollywood movie industry. He has featured in one of Toyin Abraham’s movies called Who Stole Baba’s Money. He has also acted alongside superstars such as Zubby Michael and Regina Daniels. On his shows and skits, he has also worked with other comedians and artists like MC Lively, Broda Shaggi, Brain Jotter, CKay, Mr. Macaroni, Basketmouth, TG Omori, and Kemz Mama.
A Breakdown of what Sabinus Earns from His Comedy Career
Taking his career a notch higher in 2021, Sabinus began organizing shows both locally and internationally. The comedy shows and tours have recorded huge success and turn out from fans. For example, in his Port Harcourt show, his tickets were sold for ₦5,000 (regular), ₦20,000 (VIP), ₦500,0000 (Gold), and ₦1 million Naira (Platinum tables), and the show ended up having a huge audience in attendance.
Sabinus has also hosted several shows including one in September 2022 in London. The show had tickets that were sold at the rate of 20 and 25 pounds for early birds which were sold out as well as 33 pounds (₦18,230), 55 pounds (₦30,384), and 770 pounds (table of ten at ₦425,447).
During an interview with Channels Television host Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Sabinus opened up about how much he makes on a monthly basis. The comedian said he charges between ₦1.5 million to ₦2 million per post or adverts on his social media pages, especially on his Instagram. In a month, he is mostly able to get at least ₦10 million Naira from just advert placements and promotions.
Endorsement Deals, Social Media Influencing, and Streaming also Contribute to Oga Sabinus’ Net Worth
Sabinus has earned several endorsements and ambassadorship deals with both large and small-scale brands worth millions and multi-millions in naira. Some of these companies include Dangote Cement, MTN, AccessBet, Fearless Energy Drink, Oddstark, AI Mining, The Shawn Exchange financial service, JB Autos Machines, Omnibiz Africa, Fekomi, and Marymic organic skincare and spa.
Currently, Sabinus is ranked as one of the biggest skit-makers with over three million followers on Instagram. Investor Sabinus as he is known owns a YouTube Channel which boasts over 113 million views and above 680,000 subscribers.
Estimating this, Sabinus may be earning hundreds of thousands of naira to about a million for some of his most-viewed and popular videos. He is also popular on other social media pages like Facebook and TikTok with large followership.
List of Sabinus’ Comedy shows, Movies, and TV programs
- Can This Marriage Last (2023)
- Sabinus And Nigerian POS (2023)
- First Day At Work (2023)
- Sabinus and Ashawo (2022)
- Sabinus The Manager (2022)
- Sabinus USA Comedy Tour (November 2022)
- Sabinus Live in London (September 2022)
- Sabinus Live in Ghana (February 2022).
- Leave Comedy For Shortcut (2022)
- Sabinus Live- Expect Something Hoogee (December 2021)
- Engineer Sabinus and Mr. P (2022)
- Edu Have Done The Worst (2020)
- Mind Your Business (2021)
- Baketmouth Live
- Man of War
- Billionaire’s Bride
List of Oga Sabinus’ Awards
Sabinus’ progress and success in the industry have been recognized and recorded through several avenues like the awards, nominations, endorsements, and promotions he has received. Some of them are;
- The comedian won the GAGE Awards for Online Comedian of the Year in 2022
- He won 2022 the Elite Nigerian Star Awards (DENSA) for Creative Social Comedian of the Year
- Sabinus won the Africa Magic’s Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) for Best Social Content Awards in 2021
- The Rivers State native was nominated for The Humour Awards (THA) for Revelation of The Year
- He won the BAE Awards for Best Online Comedy of the Year in 2019
A Look at Sabinus’ Houses and Cars
Splurging on luxuries like flashy cars and houses seems to be the know-how for celebrities in the entertainment industry. In as much as Sabinus has also displayed his wealth by showcasing his houses and cars, the popular skit maker claims there is still a lot he has not made known to the public in terms of his wealth.
So far, here is a list of the cars and houses Oga Sabinus owns or has used:
- Mercedes Benz GLK SUV- worth about ₦15,000,000
- Mercedes Benz GLE 450 4MATIC Coupe worth ₦42,264,800 -₦50,000,000. In 2022, shortly after the purchase of his Mercedes Benz GLK, Sabinus got into an automobile accident involving a drunk driver which led to severe damage to his rather new car. Nonetheless, he made up for his loss with a Mercedes Coupe which he claims was replaced by his insurance company. The purchase of the car was carried out within a short while of the accident
- Toyota Camry: It is worth about ₦4,500,000. In 2021, Sabinus bought one of his oldest friends and fellow comedian MC Monica a Toyota Camry as a surprise gift to mark their friendship
Sabinus has also invested heavily in real estate and landed properties. At the close of the year 2022, the comedian disclosed the purchase of his new house. The Something Hoogee creator bought a two-story mansion in the upscale town of Lekki in the city of Lagos with his name engraved inside the swimming pool. This development came at least a year after he bought a house for his parents in Port Harcourt, Rivers State as a gift in their honor.
Claims as to the price Sabinus bought his house which holds a customization of his name were all over the internet. Some who claimed to be close sources said the comedian supposedly bought his house at the rate of ₦100 million, others however claimed it was ₦800 million. In response, Sabinus was quick to refute the rumor by vehemently saying he didn’t have the kind of money people were going on about.
Sabinus Sued Two Companies for Trademark Infringement in 2022
Sabinus also stands to make some more money from the courts of law. The media was set in a frenzy in 2022 when the multifaceted entertainer Sabinus gave the popular companies, Friesland and UAC Foods an ultimatum to pay the sum of ₦1.1 Billion for compensation and damages or face court charges over infringement and intellectual property theft.
His manager, Nwabufo Micheal has however denied Sabinus’ involvement but said that it was his talent management team that was suing the companies. His legal team headed by Stanley Alike has however threatened legal action against both two companies for unauthorized use of his trademark.
Sabinus or better still his agency has slammed the Peak milk company under Friesland Campina WAMCO Nigeria PLC with a ₦1 billion suit for unauthorized use of his famous slang, “Something Hoogee”. In the same manner, he sued UAC Foods for ₦100 Million for using his image and popular pose for an animated advert still without his permission. The suits remain pending.