Bovi Ugboma knows how to command a room. Give him a microphone, an audience, and a good story, and he can keep thousands entertained for hours. It is a skill he has spent nearly two decades perfecting, turning everyday experiences, relationships and the peculiarities of Nigerian life into comedy that audiences are willing to travel and pay good money to enjoy.
His recently concluded Guilty as Charged world tour is further proof of that appeal. After selling out Indigo at The O2 in London and six shows across Canada, Bovi returned home to wrap things up with a grand finale at the Eko Convention Centre in Lagos. It was another successful outing for a comedian whose shows have grown into major entertainment events, attracting audiences who come expecting much more than a few good jokes.
But comedy is a demanding business, particularly when you’ve been doing it long enough for an entirely new generation of comedians to emerge. Audiences are changing, social media has transformed how people consume humour, and staying relevant requires more than relying on past successes. Bovi, however, has continued to find ways to keep his audience interested while building a career that extends well beyond the stand-up stage.
In this conversation with Konye Nwabogor, the comedian, actor and writer reflects on his successful world tour, the evolution of Nigerian comedy, the business behind the laughter and what it takes to remain a major name in entertainment.
You have just concluded Guilty as Charged with a successful Lagos finale, following sold-out performances in the UK and across Canada. After taking the show through different cities and audiences, what did this tour reveal to you about your comedy and the kind of entertainer you’ve become?
It makes me realise that I haven’t just grown; I’m still growing because there are new audience members. People who have never been; people who are discovering me every day and saying, ‘Oh, I knew you as an actor; I didn’t know you were doing stand-up comedy.’ I find that very fascinating because my acting career is as long as my comic career. I’m just happy that I still have something to give my audience, and we’re growing. Comedy is still alive. I say this because the turnout was pretty much the largest we’ve ever had in Lagos.
Your Lagos shows have grown into major entertainment events, attracting audiences who come for much more than a few hours of laughter. How deliberate have you been about building that experience, and what do you think makes a Bovi show different?
I’ve always maintained that comedy is one art form that is very intimate. People want to connect; they want to be told stories that are funny. People want to relax by laughing, so I always make sure I prepare for my audience. I always make sure I give them what will make it memorable. As for what makes me different, I really don’t know. All I know is that I enjoy watching comedy, and I enjoy watching every other comedian, and I think what I just do is I don’t take my audience for granted. I make sure I cook an album for them so they get their money’s worth.
Nigerian music has successfully positioned itself as a major cultural export, while stand-up comedy is still finding its place internationally. Having sold out venues abroad, what do you think is holding Nigerian comedy back from achieving similar global recognition?
I think we have a structure problem here which is not entirely the comedian’s fault. We don’t have purpose-built venues that can host comedy shows, and when I say purpose-built, I’m talking about venues with capacity.
Doing a comedy show is almost like spending double because you have to build the seating arrangements like I do. Comedy is a very selfish art; it requires 100% attention. It’s not like music. If the seating is not right, if you don’t have that theatre-style seating, you have a problem. There are so many good comedians out there, but they’re doing very many small venues, and I just believe if we had bigger venues, it would gain more traction, more recognition.
On the comedians’ side, I feel they should do more with their material and spend time giving a commanding performance. Only that can make people say, ‘Oh wow, this is not an appetiser; this is a main dish.’ It will help them.
You’ve spent nearly two decades at the forefront of Nigerian comedy. What has changed most about your understanding of success, and are the things that motivated you ten years ago still important today?
I think success is a mirage: the closer you get, the more it disappears, then appears again. The goalpost keeps moving. So, you have to keep moving because the day a man stops being ambitious is the day he starts winding down in life.
It’s a never-ending chase, but it’s a chase one must do with contentment. I think I’m a very content person, and I think I invest for the future. When I do my gigs, for example, I’m not crazy about the returns from the gigs.
I’m crazy about the products that we’re getting out there because this is going to last a lifetime. It’s going to live beyond me, I hope. My idea of success is to invest in the future. I try to study my environment, comedy-wise. I try to know what’s going on. I think that’s one way you can stay fresh.
Your comedy has always drawn from everyday experiences, relationships and social observations. As your fanbase grows daily, is it harder to stay connected to your audience’s experiences?
I wouldn’t say it’s harder because, first of all, my audience, my age range, has been very loyal since I started. I’m an empathetic person. I like to connect with people. With the younger generation, I’m quite in touch with their lifestyle, what makes them tick, what they like, and what they don’t like. When you study the younger generation, you realise they’re not so different from us. The only major difference is that they’re born into a technology era that didn’t exist when we were younger, so their thought processes are different. You can tell young people how you had to go to four places to do stuff in university, and they’ll reply, “Why didn’t you just send a text or call?” or “Why didn’t you order it online?” When we were in school, we used to take our course registration forms from office to office for lecturers to sign. Now, they’re like, why didn’t you just send an email? Why didn’t you sign it and send it back to the lecturer?
Guilty as Charged is an interesting title. What inspired it?
Many of the jokes were about people who have been found guilty. Some of them are my personal experiences, but if you look at the jokes I cracked, they were basically about people crucified on social media, from Jude to Frank Edoho to the girl who called Mr. Elumelu by his first name. Social media crucified them alive.
There is a difference between being funny and commanding an audience for an entire evening. What do you believe separates a truly great stand-up comedian from someone who simply knows how to make people laugh?
You already said it: the ability to command the audience even when you’re not cracking a joke. The ability to leave an impression on your audience for a long time. When people leave the venue saying, ‘Ah, this guy said this, said that.’ You know, one time I heard Dave Chappelle tell Will Smith that when you’re not being funny, make sure you are being interesting. That’s the way to get your audience to pay attention. I think I’m a compelling storyteller, so I just consider myself lucky. Sometimes it still scares me when I’m talking, and the audience is just quiet. I’m like, ‘Okay, they haven’t laughed in a while.’
Do you sometimes get nervous when you get on stage?
No, not anymore. That’s when I was way younger. Now, I have prepared so much, not just for each event, but for my whole life, that I can read an audience and tell what to do, and what not to do. I’m not bulletproof, but I’m just saying there are ways to get out of such tight situations.
The rise of skit makers and digital creators has completely changed the comedy industry. Would you say social media has strengthened Nigerian comedy, or has it created a culture where popularity is sometimes mistaken for talent?
Skit making is a very beautiful addition to the comedy space. When people say it has come to halt stand-up comedy, I just laugh because I don’t understand where such an analogy is coming from. It’s because we are too driven by popularity. Fame is cheap; anybody can be famous. Skit making became an art form because of social media, and it’s a blessing.
There are so many skit makers who originally wanted to be stand-up comedians, but they chose to do skits because it was easier to reach an audience through that means. Skit making in the long run is complementing stand-up comedy. It’s not taking from it.
In an age where jokes can quickly become controversies, have you found yourself becoming more careful about what you say, or do you believe comedians should be free to push boundaries?
Comedians should be free to push boundaries. I have always been careful about what I say because it’s a thin line between being funny and being insulting, and I don’t want to insult anyone. So, I’ve actually always been careful, but if you say all topics are off-limits. I don’t think any topic is off-limits, but how you present the topic is what will determine if you are out of line or not.
The most important thing to note is that comedy is for people to come and laugh. So, if you can’t stand the heat, don’t get in the kitchen, because everything that happens comedy-wise is actually light-hearted.
At your level, comedy is both an art and a serious business. How involved are you in the commercial decisions behind your productions?
100%. I used to shy away from it, but now I realise it’s how I like to do things, and the only way my team can catch up with the vision is if I do it myself for them to see. So, I’m 100% involved.
What have you learned about turning creative talent into a sustainable business brand?
I’ve always known that creative talent, when put together, is an art form. If the painter can sit down and paint, the sculptor can sit down and carve, right? Why shouldn’t the actor in me make work that will last a long time, and the comedian in me as well, and the writer in me? These are things that I have always known. It pretty much goes without saying. There are people who have been ahead of me. Until today, we watch their stuff.
Richard Pryor’s stuff is still out there making money, and Murphy’s stuff is still out there making money. These are people who thrived in the 70s and 80s. The evidence is there to show that if you want to be remembered, you have to do your work in a way that will be presentable to the next two generations.
Success brings recognition, money and opportunity, but it can also change relationships and expectations. What has been the most unexpected personal cost of becoming Bovi?
I don’t think the question applies to me because I have tried my best to maintain most relationships, but the truth is that the ones that faded had nothing to do with success; they had to do with my growth. Mentally, I grow. I try to learn new things all the time. Sometimes, you realise you can’t have the same old conversations you had 10, 15, 20 years ago because you have grown. So, the friendships filter themselves. I have friends who have filtered me out of their lives, too.
That’s it for me. I’m grateful for everything that entertainment has brought me. If I had my way, I would control the fame and just be like everyone else because sometimes you’re not in the mood.
However, I’m also grateful for the times when being famous has helped speed up whatever I was chasing and opened doors so I could move faster than I would have. They come with privileges. I’m thankful.
You’ve worked across stand-up, television and film, yet the stage remains central to your career. Is that where you still feel most creatively fulfilled?
I feel creatively fulfilled in everything I do, from stand-up to movies to writing. I’ve written everything I have executive produced. So, that’s my life. It’s like having three wives and loving them equally. It’s like marrying three wives on the same day.
Are there other aspects of entertainment you’re increasingly drawn to?
Yeah music. I will drop my album one day.
You’ve achieved the kind of success many entertainers aspire to, but you don’t strike me as someone ready to settle. What still feels unfinished, and what would genuinely excite or challenge you at this stage of your career?
Nothing feels unfinished. I just am passionate about what I do. I love what I do. It defines who I am. I’ve always told people to find what you love, and you will never really get tired of doing it. You can do it for free, even though others get paid.
You do it easily, but it’s hard for others. That’s what you should spend your life doing, you know. I had a friend. I said the same thing, and she said she has thought about it, and she likes to talk. I said, all right, talk to young girls in secondary schools that are about to attain puberty. Educate them. She came back, and the school said she had to get permission from the ministry—all that stress. I said go to private schools and leave the government schools alone if they can’t let you come and give a talk. It’s not like it’s wrong to go get permission; it’s the hectic nature of our system. After that, I introduced her to my friend who works on the radio, and she interned there. I always tell people that what you are crazy about, what you’re passionate about, may sound stupid in the eyes of man, but trust me, you can hone it into a commercial skill. And that’s it.
I’m passionate about what I do. If I get tired, I don’t know, because I know I’m really passionate; and judging from my last event, it made me realise, okay, I’m still doing something right. For 18 years, I’ve been doing stand-up, and my audience hasn’t dwindled.
Should we expect anything new from Bovi Brand in the next few years?
More movies, more comedy, more online shows. I have a new show I’m keeping close to my chest, and it will be the first of its kind. So, you’ll have to wait and see.
Photography – Jolaoso Adebayo
Stylist – Moses Ebite
