Bovi Ugboma is one of the few comedians in Nigeria whose presence on stage already elicits a ripple of laughter. Even before he tells his first joke, people are already bracing up to be entertained, reflecting how far he has come in the industry.
Bovi bagged his degree in Theatre Arts from Delta State University before being posted to the National Television Authority (NTA), Lokoja, during his NYSC year. He then moved to Lagos in 2004 and took a role as Richard Mofe-Damijo’s assistant.
In 2007, he made his acting debut on Extended Family, a sitcom he wrote and produced. The series was successful, and he was set on a stable career path: acting, performing at comedy clubs, and writing jokes. Another big break came when he travelled and performed with Opa Williams’ Nite of A Thousand Laughs.
In 2013, he began his one-man special, Man on Fire, at the Eko convention centre. It achieved relative success that earned him a sequel the following year and was hosted in several American and European cities.
After a three-year hiatus, the show returned to massive success in Lagos in 2017. He hosted another one two years later in 2019, which he declared was the last of the franchise.
Bovi has also enjoyed relative success as an actor premiering his first movie titled It’s her Day in 2016. It earned him a nomination as best actor in a comedy at the AMVCA, which is his fourth nomination so far. He also appeared in My Village People, a comedy released in 2021.
Bovi’s versatility has seen him appear as a host on major award shows. He has hosted the Headies Award for a record three years. He appeared at this year’s NECLive8, where he spoke about the peculiarity of comedy as art.
He emerged as the most popular comedian in the male category in the Net Honours Class of 2021 after narrowingly missing out in 2020.
Written by Omotayo Yusuf
