Popular Producer and director Opa Williams is 50. Often referred to as the ‘humour merchant’, Williams hit the golden jubilee on July 31, 2012. Friends and well-wishers flooded his Facebook page with congratulatory messages. ‘Happy Birthday Williams’. May the light shine brighter and brighter in the days and many years ahead. Congratulations, Paris Agaro wrote. ‘ ‘Happy bday our great comedian legend!! D one who hd put millions of smiles in our faces n brought every one 2geter thru ur shows n productions in the comedy show biz. More grace n longlife SIR”.
Dave Okoh wrote a small tribute for Williams. Williams is regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern day stand up comedy in Nigeria. He is best known for premiering the first ever comedy talent show ‘Nite of a Thousand Laughs‘ back in 1995. He ran the show for 16 years. The CEO of Opa Williams productions, he is also an accomplished movie maker, will many Nollywood productions under his belt. He shocked Nigerians in December 2011 when he announced he was closing the curtains on the show with the last two editions to be held Benin and Port-Harcourt. He however returned in February with a ‘Nite of A Thousand Laughs Xtra’ held in Kenya. Popular stand up comedians like Julius Agwu, Basketmouth and I Go Dye among many others used the show as a platform to debut and build up their stage craft.