MC Monica – For the love of Comedy

Born 10th of September 1993 in the industrial town of Nnewi, Anambra State, my 27-year-old pick of the week is the last of eight children. His bricklayer father and hardworking mother are staunch Christians who taught their children the virtues of honesty, discipline, and kindness.

He attended St. Stephen Model Nursery and Primary schools in Nnewi before heading to Okongwu Memorial Grammar School also in Nnewi, where he sat for his senior secondary school certificate examination. He passed with flying colours. The only person fortunate to go to school in his family because things were really tough for his parents, he was loved by his teachers and classmates.

In 2012 he was admitted into Niger Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa state. He studied Fine and Applied Arts. His undergraduate years were very challenging because his parents lacked the finances to support his dream of acquiring a degree and his sponsors stopped taking his calls soon after he was admitted into the university.

“As long as God is above, He will provide for us, and your mother and I will see you through school,” his dad assured him when he almost gave up.

Moving from Nnewi to Amassoma, although he didn’t have money, he had a pocket full of dreams. In NDU, his mantra became – “No rich parents but just dreams.” What kept him going was the belief he had in his Igbo name, “Chisom”(God is with me). All he had to survive in school was five thousand Naira he received every two months and even this wasn’t consistent.

In his second year in the university, he decided to use his talent to support himself because back in secondary school he was the funniest in his class. He was so funny teachers invited him to entertain and make them laugh in the staff room.

At that time he was known as ‘Mc Dimoma’ until a girl in his class called him ‘Monica’ because of how he would complain whenever the issue of money was brought up in school.

On one occasion where he was to perform alongside Mc Yanga Pikin who was his coursemate and friend in NDU, Yanga Pikin the anchor mistakenly introduced him with the name he was usually called in class “Mc Monica.” The hall erupted in thunderous applause and the excitement was overwhelming. After that, the name stuck and he decided to keep it even after he became popular.

His third year in the university came with more challenges as a friend of his who was supposed to rent an apartment with him squandered the money and rendered him homeless. For eight months, Mc Monica slept in classrooms. It was tough, but he remained undaunted.

By his final year in the university, he had won so many awards and accolades, and his fanbase grew quickly because of how good his act was. This propelled him to host his first comedy event – “Starch Your Teeth” on February 16, 2016. The publicity was massive. Mc Shakara from Lagos was also billed to perform but in the early hours of that morning, there was a riot in NDU. Properties were destroyed and the school was shut down. This threw unexpected spanners in the works because he was at the venue of the event preparing when he heard the news. At the end of the day though, the event was a huge success.

The name, Chisom Sylvester Edeh or his stage name MC Monica might not ring a bell to you just yet if you live outside Yenagoa, Warri, and Nnewi. But trust me, in a decade from now, this fast-rising stand-up-comedian will emerge a force in entertainment. Ask me why and I’ll tell you gladly.

As an undergraduate, he featured in almost every entertainment show in NDU. Entertainers and artists in Yenagoa have consistently featured him in their shows and he remains a headline act. He pays his bills from doing comedy and hosting events. In February 2016, he officially unveiled his entertainment brand, Mr. Dim Concept. Mr. Dim Concept has grown to become a fast-rising entertainment brand in South-South Nigeria and in just four short years its creator has made in-roads in several cities in Nigeria.

Mr. Dim Concept is an all-round entertainment enterprise that hosts – FROM NDU-2-D-World (a seasonal entertainment show that showcases talented and successful graduates of his alma mater) and Starch-Ur-Teeth (an annual comedy show that showcases other stand-up comedians with him as host).

Known for his philanthropy, his programme, D-Children-Must-Chop reaches out to indigent children all over the country with educational materials and food. So far, he has covered 11 states including the FCT with his generosity. His goal is to motivate these children to stay in school and like him, become successful in the future.

Sylvester Edeh a.k.a MC Monica has shown great promise for future stardom and has earned his spot as “my pick of the week.”

Keep it coming, bro. You’re my pick of the week! The best is yet to come!

Written by Irvin Allen.