Why I’ve decided to change my stage name to ‘Onyekwere’ till after elections – Basketmouth

Famous comedian, Bright Okpocha, aka Basketmouth, has said he would be changing his stage name ‘Basketmouth’ to ‘Onyekwere’.

He said this would last until the end of election season in Nigeria.

Basketmouth, a father of four made this known via his verified Instagram page, where he further gave the funny reasons for his sudden ‘Change of name.’

He wrote:

“SPECIAL PUBLIC. ANNOUNCEMENT. DUE TO THE FACT THAT WE ARE IN A CAMPAIGN SEASON AND UNAVOIDABLY SOME POLITICIANS WILL BE TALKING ANYHOW. THEREBY EARNING THEM THE TAG ‘BASKETMOUTH’ BY THE ONLINE COMMUNITY. I HAVE DECIDED TO CHANGE MY STAGE NAME TO ‘ONYEKWERE’ UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTIONS. GENERAL PUBLIC AND CLIENTS. OWING ME MONEY, PLEASE TAKE NOTE.
SIGNED: ONYEKWERE.”

Recall that Basketmouth had earlier said he has not sued a real estate company to court, despite not getting a property he paid for 14 years ago. He said this is because he is not a big fan of the country’s judicial system.

In an interview with Sunday Scoop, Basketmouth said,:

“I am not a big fan of the judicial system in Nigeria because of the processes involved. Unfortunately, I don’t trust it.

So, I pushed as much as I could but the guy is someone I respect a lot. So, along the line, we became platonic friends. I bought another property and moved on three years after.

Then, I kept asking about it but they had a court issue. They told me that they would give me another house, but that hasn’t happened till now.

“I got upset and I was going to call him out but his brother became a king, and out of respect for their family’s name, I backed out.

“Later, I found a better construction company and I have been dealing with them since.”

Basketmouth also noted that entertainers who don’t show up for gigs after being paid were painting others in bad light. He said:

“When I hear stories like that, I feel disgusted because comedy is not a regular job.

One has time to craft one’s content, and even if another event comes up, one can attend both if one plans one’s time well. 

When a client books one and one does not show up, one has not only disappointed them, one has also being unprofessional.”

On how he maintains a drama-free life, he noted that he keeps his personal life private.