Basi and Company

Basi and Company
Genre	Sitcom
Created by	Ken Saro-Wiwa
Written by	Ken Saro-Wiwa, Tekena Harry-McDonald, Bob Ejike
Directed by	Uzorma Onungwa
Starring	Albert Egbe (1985-1987) Zulu Adigwe (1988-1990) Aso Douglas Lasa Amoro
Theme music composer	Eji Oyewole (1985-1988) Zulu Adigwe (1988-1990)
Country of origin	Nigeria
Original language(s)	English
No. of episodes	150
Production
Running time	30 mins
Release
Original network	NTA
Original release	1985 – 1990

Basi and Company, also known as Mr. B, was a Nigerian sitcom which ran from 1985 -1990 on NTA, and was later syndicated to stations across Africa. Written and produced by Ken Saro-Wiwa and filmed in Enugu, the show derived inspiration from African folklore, and lampooned widespread corruption in oil-rich Nigeria while highlighting its consequences. To date, it remains one of Africa's most watched comedy programmes, with an estimated thirty million viewers during its peak.

Set in a pre-419 era, the main character Basi - popularly known as Mr. B - is a young man who dreams of becoming a millionaire by tricking wealthy individuals with his hare-brained schemes; his motto is "To be a millionaire, think like a millionaire!". Arriving in Lagos where he believes "the streets are paved with gold", he promptly moves into a dingy room owned by an equally greedy landlady simply known as Madam, a woman who believes that all problems can be solved with money, hence her catchphrase "It's a matter of cash!". Despite living on her property for a considerably long time, Basi refuses to pay his rent. This angers Madam, who unsuccessfully attempts to evict him in nearly every episode. Basi infuriates her further by moving in his dimwitted sidekick Alali without her permission. During their tenure in the room, the duo approach Madam with their deceitful plans in a bid to extract money out of her and hide in their room at other times in order to avoid paying the rent which they can hardly afford.

Basi's other counterpart is Dandy, a cunning man who runs an badly maintained bar on the street. With the help of his friend Boy Josco, the two often try to copy Basi's get-rich-quick scams, again with little or no success. Segi, a beautiful but devious young lady who also lives nearby, is also a rival. Their fraudulent and somewhat ridiculous plans include peddling real estate on the moon, rigging the lottery, adding their names to government payrolls despite being unemployed, persuading radio station to buy fake radio licenses, and forging WAEC results for unsuccessful candidates.

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Wikipedia