Bovi Ugboma is a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

stand-up

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, and

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

. He has organized popular stand-up comedy concerts like ''Bovi: Man on Fire'' across the globe.

Early life and education

Bovi Ugboma was born in

Benin City Benin City serves as the Capital city, capital and largest Metropolitan area, metropolitan centre of Edo State, situated in Nigeria, southern Nigeria. It ranks as the List of Nigerian cities by population, fourth-most populous city in Niger ...

, the capital of

Edo State Edo State, Edo, officially known as Edo State, is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South Geopolitical zones of Nigeria, geopolitical zone of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As of 2024, the state was ranked as the List of Ni ...

. He attended UNIBEN staff school for his primary education. In 1991, he was enrolled in Government College,

Ughelli Ughelli is a town in Delta State, Nigeria, and one of the 24 kingdoms that make up the Urhobo people, Urhobo Nation. It also serves as the headquarters of Ughelli North local government area of Delta State. The city is indigenous to the Urhobo ...

Delta State Delta is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South (Nigeria), South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named after the Niger Delta—a large part of which is in the state—the state was formed from the former Bendel State, on 27 August 1 ...

. For disciplinary reasons and fear from his parents of his development as a youth, he was removed from boarding school and transferred to Edokpolor Grammar School in Benin City, where they lived. That move proved unproductive and he moved to his third secondary school, Boys Model Secondary School, Onicha Olona, an all boarding school. After completing his secondary education, he gained admission in

Delta State University Delta State University (DSU) is a public university in Cleveland, Mississippi, a city in the Mississippi Delta. History The school was established in 1924 by the State of Mississippi, using the facilities of the former Bolivar County Agricultu ...

in 1998, where he studied

Theatre Arts Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communic ...

Comedy career

2007 Bovi began his career in April 2007, starring in the sitcom ''Extended Family'', which he also wrote and produced. The show was popular and fans loved it. 2008 - 2011 Bovi was an emerging force in comedy shows and events throughout Nigeria. he made his stand-up comedy debut in Nigeria's premiere comedy franchise, ''Night of a thousand laughs'' organized by Opa Williams. 2013 - 2014 Bovi's first stand-up special was held at Eko convention center. He followed it up in 2014 with a sequel titled Bovi: Man on Fire, which featured performances by international music stars

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

and Ashanti. Bovi took the one-man special to several cities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. 2017 He went on a break for three years after the 2014 edition of the show, after the hiatus, the Man on Fire franchise returned to

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

and it was the most successful yet. The fourth edition in Lagos held in April 2019 and Bovi said it is the last of the man on Fire franchise. He says his next special will go by another title. Bovi began a series titled ''Back To School'' in 2018 which he uploads in his

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

channel. Bovi has worked alongside other Nigerian comedians such as I Go Dye, I Go Save,

Basketmouth Bright Okpocha (born 14 September 1978), better known by his stage name Basketmouth, is a Nigerian comedian and actor. He has organized popular stand-up comedy concerts like ''Basketmouth Uncensored'' across the globe. Basketmouth hosted a comedy ...

, Buchi, Odogwu,

Okey Bakassi Okechukwu Anthony Onyegbule (), popularly known as Okey Bakassi () (born 23 October 1969) in Imo state is a Nigerian stand-up comedian and actor. In 2014, he won the "Best Actor in a Leading Role (Igbo)" category at the 2014 edition of the Best ...

Julius Agwu Julius Agwu (born April 7, 1973) is a Nigerian stand-up comedian, actor, singer and MC. Julius Agwu is the MD/CEO of Reellaif Limited, music, and movie production company. He is also an entertainment consultant and motivational speaker. He i ...

and many others. 2022 In July 2022, Bovi held his latest comedy special, ''Bovi- Naughty By Nature'' in Lagos and it was sold out two days before the show.

Movies

2015–2018

Bovi premiered his first movie ''

It's Her Day ''It's Her Day'' is a 2016 Nigerian comedy drama film about an engaged couple from different social backgrounds, and the class struggle they encounter while planning their high-end wedding. Bovi Ugboma plays Victor, a newly engaged man pressuri ...

'' on 9 September 2016. The movie grossed 55 million Naira in the Nigerian box office. In 2016, he starred in the romantic comedy, ''4-1-Love'' as the lead actor. In 2017, he was nominated for the

AMVCA The ''Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards'' (AMVCA) are a set of accolades presented by MultiChoice recognizing outstanding achievement in television and film across Africa,, through an annual ceremony hosted in the Exhibition Center of the Eko ...

awards as the best actor in comedy; his third individual nomination since the inception of the AMVCA and the fourth from his works. The movie, though lacking in mainstream publicity, went on to have a decent run in the cinemas and grossed 55 million naira at the box office.

2020

In 2020 he starred as a police officer in the remake of the

Nollywood Nollywood, a portmanteau of Nigeria and Hollywood, is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term goes back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history ...

classic ''Nneka the Pretty Serpent''.

2021

He also wrote, co-produced and starred in his second film, ''

My Village People ''My Village People'' is a 2021 Nigerian comedy supernatural thriller film written by Bovi Ugboma and directed by Niyi Akinmolayan. It stars Bovi Ugboma, Nkem Owoh, Amaechi Muonagor and Charles Inojie in the lead roles. The film premiered at ...

''. The film went on went on to join the list of 17 Nigerian films to gross100 million naira in the local box office.

Personal life

Bovi is married to Kris Asimonye Ugboma, and they have three children. In January 2022, his wife underwent surgery after an episode of ectopic pregnancy, which ruptured one of her fallopian tubes. The two celebrated their 13th anniversary on 19 September 2022, with Bovi praising his wife for taming him and carrying his children for 27 months altogether.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

References

External links

Twitter page
{{Authority control 1979 births 21st-century Nigerian male actors Living people Male actors from Delta State Nigerian male comedians Nigerian film directors Nigerian film producers Nigerian screenwriters Delta State University, Abraka alumni Nigerian male television actors Nigerian male film actors Nigerian stand-up comedians Nigerian comedians