Celebrities
Bovi Reveals Why He Moved His Family Out of Nigeria
Nigerian comedian and actor Bovi has opened up about his decision to relocate his family to the United Kingdom, citing concerns over bullying in Nigerian schools and the lack of an enabling environment in the country.
Bovi stated this during a recent interview on the Uncolored podcast, disclosing that his children have been living in the UK for the past two years.
He explained that while his first son initially moved abroad for boarding school in 2021, the entire family later followed.
Bovi recounted his own experience attending boarding school in Nigeria, where he learned resilience and street-smart skills.
“I went to boarding school in Nigeria and it made me street-smart. So I decided that my kid needs to go boarding but not in Nigeria because the educational system has accepted bullying,” he explained.
Bovi also attributed the trend of mass migration from Nigeria to the lack of an enabling environment in the country. He highlighted the medical sector as an example, where doctors are leaving the country in large numbers due to poor working conditions.
“The saving grace of the country is that we’ve not gone into war or food shortage. We’ve also not had natural disasters. So we can lose 500 doctors in one year but there are about 200 new doctors coming on board. It’s like using balm aid on a big wound. That’s why it has not blown up in our faces,” he said.
Bovi emphasized that migration is not just about financial gain but about dignity and infrastructure. He noted that doctors abroad have better resources and a supportive system that allows them to work with ease.
“If the government wants to stem the tide, they check what the West is doing. Why are doctors comfortable going to work in other countries? It’s not just the money. If you are passionate about something but when you get to work there’s light and an enabling encouragement, you don’t get to fight to go to work or go back home,” he said.
“It may not be perfect but at least that decency is not lost. Patients have died in Nigeria because of lack of blood or power failure during operation. If you are a medical doctor, would you like to work under that kind of condition? The answer is no.”
