Bullying in schools pushed me to relocate my kids – Bovi

Bovi, a Nigerian actor and stand-up comedian, has talked candidly about his intention to move his family to the UK, citing bullying in Nigerian schools as the reason.

In an interview with the Uncoloured podcast, which went viral on Wednesday, Bovi said that his kids had been residing in the UK for the previous two years. He clarified that although his eldest son first went overseas for boarding school in 2021, the rest of the family eventually followed.

"My children are no longer residents of Nigeria." They have now spent two years in the UK. My first son has been living in a boarding house there since 2021, so it all started by accident," he remarked.

Bovi described his personal experience going to a Nigerian boarding school, where he gained resilience and street-smart skills. However, he said he chose not to send his children to a Nigerian boarding school due to what he described as a normalised culture of bullying.

“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.
Regarding the mass migration issue, Bovi blamed the tendency on Nigeria's dearth of a supportive atmosphere.

He used the medical industry as an example, pointing out that bad working circumstances are driving many professionals out of the nation.

He emphasised that infrastructure and dignity are just as important as financial gain when it comes to migration. When comparing the working conditions in Nigeria and the West, he pointed out that doctors in other countries have access to superior resources and a system of support that makes their jobs easier.

"The country's saving grace is that we haven't experienced a food shortage or a war," he remarked. There haven't been any natural catastrophes either.

"There are roughly 200 new doctors joining, but we could lose 500 doctors in a year. It's similar to applying balm aid to a large wound. It hasn't exploded in our faces because of this.

"The government looks at what the West is doing if it wishes to stop the trend. Why do medical professionals feel at ease working abroad? Money isn't the only factor. You don't have to fight to go to work or return home if you are enthusiastic about something yet there is light and encouraging support at work.

Even while it's not flawless, at least that civility is still present. In Nigeria, patients have passed away due to a shortage of blood or a power outage during surgery. Would you want to practise medicine in such a setting if you were a doctor? The response is no.