Comedian, Bovi criticises student disciplinary practices in Nigerian schools

Thelma Osatohanmwen

Renowned stand-up comedian, Bovi Ugboma has expressed strong disapproval of the prevailing concept of allowing senior secondary school students to discipline their juniors.

Speaking on Thursday at the Excellence in Leadership Conference, Bovi shared his perspective on the flawed Nigerian educational system, emphasizing the absurdity of empowering students to enforce discipline on their peers.

During his address, Bovi criticized the practice of allowing older students, often around 16 years old, to administer punishments or discipline to their junior counterparts.

Bovi argued that the empowerment of students to discipline others is inherently flawed and contributes to an environment where students know little about true discipline. He expressed disbelief at the idea that his own child could be subjected to punishment by another student in school, deeming it abnormal.

In his words, “Empowering students to discipline students is insane, we are crazy in this country and you have no idea, there is nothing normal about it. I can’t imagine that my own child that I gave birth to, would go to school and then I would be told that another student punished him either by flogging him or asking him to kneel down. The oldest child is an average of 16 years, what do they know about discipline, there’s nothing right about it,

“The senior students are meant to guide the junior ones, not that teachers would sit back and tell the senior students that they can punish their juniors. In my secondary school years I was abused and dumbfounded at how someone one year ahead of me could tell me to kneel down.”


The comedian stressed that the role of senior students should be guidance and mentorship, not wielding disciplinary powers granted by teachers. He highlighted the negative consequences, including bullying among students, and asserted that this flawed concept leads to the development of power-hungry individuals who may later engage in harmful activities like joining cults.