I need not to bore you with the rhetoric of hardship in the country right now, neither is it expedient that I reel out statistics of the challenging situation we find ourselves as a people.
But like my people in the western part of the country would say: “ilu le” translated into English language as “things are really hard”; amid rising unemployment, hyperinflation and worsening standard of living, which have impacted the mental health of millions of Nigerians.
Many enterprising youths are leveraging their talents and digital space to put smiles on people’s faces, earning decent living, and solving practical problem, through Skirt Making.
What is a skit?
By the way, a skit is a short performance in which the actors make fun of people, events, and types of literature by imitating them.
Skit can also be referred to as parody, spoof, travesty, and the list is endless. It is also a short humorous performance or piece of writing.
Historically, short comedy videos began to gain prominence in Nigeria in 2015 and this was long before the social media rush or boom. Years later, skit making has grown into a full-fledged industry
Specifically, after the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world and propelled a lockdown, many Nigerians turned to social media platforms as creativity was at its peaks.
However, the year 2020 was no doubt the year when several skit makers become celebrities, especially in Nigeria.
According to a report released by Dataleum, a global talent accelerator, ranked skit making as the third largest entertainment industry in Nigeria with a net worth of over N50 billion.
Furthermore, a study conducted by the Africa Polling Institute (API) on the comedy industry in order to improve the talents of Nigerian youths revealed that 90 percent of Nigerians polled believed that comedy skits were more of a source of employment.
The skit making industry therefore, has become the fastest-growing industry in Nigeria’s entertainment space.
Gone are the days when skit makers are not taken seriously, I bet you, people like Mark Angel, Brother Shaggi, Mr Funny (Sabinus), Macaroni, Taaooma, amongst others, cannot be taken for granted. The common mantra on the street is “problem no dey finish and so you must chop life”, no thanks to those not familiar with the street still echoes long.
Quickly, how are skitmakers addressing practical problems in Nigeria. As a matter of fact, these are problems the Federal government may not be able to address, no thanks to the political scientists and their principles of “government as no business in business”.
According to Section 14 (2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of the government. In this declaration, the security and welfare of the people are constructively presented as a sole purpose.
The extent to which this obligation has been fulfilled or met by the government is yours to decide.
Therefore, what problems are the skit makers in Nigeria solving? And how are they bringing solution to those highlighted areas in practical terms
Skit makers proffer Economic solutions
According to the API report, titled ‘Skit Economy: An Assessment of Digital Content Creators in Nigeria’, skits are useful in creating awareness about social trends; 83 percent identified the role of skits in correcting societal ills; while 90 percent acknowledged the potential of skits for employment generation in Nigeria.
Again, Jobberman rightly noted that Nigeria’s creative industry to which skit-making belongs employs more than four million people in the country and has the potential to create an additional 2.7 million jobs by 2025.
That is not a miniature development in the light of the Unemployment challenge, starring us in the face as a people.
Nigeria’s unemployment rate stood at 3.3 percent in Q4 of 2020. However, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently reported underemployment rates of 5.3 percent (Q4 2022) and 4.1 percent (Q1 2023) based on the new Nigeria Labour Force Survey.
Furthermore, and beyond the peripheral of what you see as skits, this industry also provides employment opportunities for some youths, who can shoot, edit, do voiceovers and even act; skits help people believe they can make it big by making people laugh.
As much as some people don’t see the importance of skit making because it is comedy, the truth is that the skit industry is a powerful tool, just like the music industry.
The creative sector in Nigeria has significant potential for employment of young people. This potential is evident in the availability of the current formal and informal job opportunities, as well as the growth potential within the industry,”
Another Major Problem being attended to by the skit making industry is depression.
Depression
To avoid a constant drift to anxieties, occasioned by the volume of bills hanging on his neck like a noose, Yinka always ensures he has data on his smartphone to surf the internet for soul-lifting short comedy videos, popularly known as skits.
“Watching skits is my major pastime. Aside from laughing and feeling happy, I also pick one or two lessons from them. “If I think of the baggage of responsibilities before me and look at my salary, I always get frustrated and sad, but these comedies provide some sort of relief,” The above are the few captured thoughts of people in response to the therapeutic power of skit making.
According to the World Health Organization over seven million people suffer from depression in Nigeria – the highest in Africa – representing about 23 percent of 30million living with the condition on the continent.
It is identified as the leading cause of suicide of which over 700,000 people die annually, according to the global health body.
Again, Nigeria’s misery index, which measures economic hardship, rose to 62.79 in July 2022, compared to 59.4 in December 2021, indicating that more Nigerians are financially miserable.
On another flip of the coin, experts warned that financial stress can lead to anxiety and depression, a common illness that affects about 3.8 percent of the world population – about 280million people.
But a study by the Nigerian General Household Survey Panel using agriculture, welfare and other areas of life as indicators also revealed that 20 percent of heads of households in the country suffer from chronic depression.
However, laughter triggered by exciting moments, such as watching skits, has been found to be a great source of relief. During laughter, endorphins which promote various types of well-being, including the temporary reduction of pain, are said to be released.
Although skit makers could have started making videos with mobile devices, skit makers now have modern production equipment and editing suites, “where a lot of people derive their livelihood and feed their families from.
A group of young Nigerians had, instead of bemoaning their fate, looked inwards and discovered their talents.
They added the spices of creativity, determination and resilience, and in the face of all that, could be stoppers, rose above challenges, gave life a good fight and have won.
“The results of that individual effort have today redefined Nigeria’s entertainment landscape with the introduction of short movies, otherwise popularly known as ‘skits’. The impacts of their efforts have not only transformed their lives but also reverberated across our society and nation.
