Taaooma, born Maryam Apaokagi, is a Nigerian comedian, cinematographer, and entrepreneur celebrated for skits in which she single-handedly portrays multiple family members, most notably a strict, disciplinarian African mother figure that has become her signature comedic trademark.
Born Apaokagi Adedoyin Maryam on February 28, 1999, she spent much of her early life in Namibia, where her family relocated, attending Amazing Kids Private School and later Concordia College in Windhoek. She returned to Nigeria for university, studying Tourism and Travel Service Management at Kwara State University in Ilorin, Kwara State.
Apaokagi’s entry into content creation came through her fiancรฉ, Abdulaziz Oladimeji, known as Abula, who taught her the basics of video editing after she expressed interest in learning the craft. She began releasing comedy skits in 2015, but it was a 2019 sketch about African parents dropping their children off at school that catapulted her to wider fame, establishing the family-dynamic format that continues to define her content.
Her skits, which frequently feature her playing every character including ‘Baba Tao’ and ‘Iya Tao’, have made her one of Nigeria’s most distinctive digital comedians, collaborating with figures including Shaffy Bello, Sydney Talker, Don Jazzy, and Mr Macaroni. Beyond comedy, she is the founder and CEO of Chop Tao, a food business, and directs for The Greenade Company, a cinematography agency she manages alongside her husband.
Apaokagi married Abula in January 2021 and the couple welcomed a daughter in December 2024. She has expressed ambitions to move further into Nollywood filmmaking through The Greenade Company, building on accolades that include the Best Online Comedian honour at the 2019 Gage Awards.
