Bright Okpocha, veteran comedian known as Basketmouth, has set up a five-year plan to step away from the game and focus on other endeavours, including music and filmmaking.
The 45-year-old made this revelation on Saturday, November 25, 2023, stating that he plans to retire after doing a run of yearly comedy shows for the following five years.
He added that even though he initially gave up music in the 1990s to pursue a career in comedy, he had always known he would return to it.
His success as a producer and cast member of the hit sitcom My Flatmates added credence to his belief.
The comedian claimed that his goal is to build his own empire and work in every aspect of the entertainment industry.
He said, “In five years, I’ll be fifty, I wouldn’t want to cheat on comedy, and I would have moved on to something else that would take up a lot of my time. I wish to put my all into it.”
“I am confident that in five years, I will be able to combine all of my interests and completely enjoy films, TV shows, and concerts. Doing all of these things and still giving comedy your best will be difficult,” he said.
The comedian said there is the possibility of a comeback despite his departure strategy.
“As a comedian, you can’t stop writing materials so I’ll keep writing, and maybe in another 10 or 15 years after now, I might come back. We have a 15-year plan,” he said.
Apart from My Flatmates, Basketmouth is the author of the web series Papa Benji and the producer of three highly acclaimed albums: Yabasi, Horoscopes, and Uburu.