Drawing on past tournament experiences and national football history, Bovi cautioned that chasing personal glory could cost the players their chance to become lasting national heroes.
Nigerian stand-up comedian and actor Bovi "Bovi" Ugboma has reacted after Nigeria's Super Eagles crashed out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following a semi-final defeat to host nation Morocco.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Super Eagles lost 4-2 on penalties to the Atlas Lions after a goalless 120-minute draw at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Wednesday.
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The defeat ended Nigeria's hopes of reaching the final, with Eric Chelle's side set to face Egypt, who lost to Senegal in the third-place playoff.
Reacting to the result, the 46-year-old comedian, in a video posted on his Instagram page on Thursday, criticised the team's performance.
He maintained that the issues went beyond the loss to Morocco and reflected long-standing problems evident in previous tournaments.
Bovi, who revealed he has several friends in the national team, advised them, saying, "I was not born when they shot the good, the bad, the ugly. But one of the most famous lines in movie history is: "If you want to shoot, shoot; don't talk, don't chew gum, don't look up at the camera, don't smile before the shootout." Like you're in enemy territory. You have to kill, you have to strike. You get what I'm saying?
"Don't come to the Super Eagles if you know you are not ready to kill or die for the nation. If NFF doesn't pay you your money, then let it go. Social media is fucking you guys up real bad. Not just from this tournament, but also from previous tournaments, go and check. Social media can make you crazy with praise. Guess what? They don't like you. They like what you do. Don't let the comments, don't let the likes fool you. The tide can change any time."
Unity
The comedian also urged the players to remember that football remains Nigeria's strongest unifying force in a nation often divided by religion and politics.
Bovi said he ordinarily avoids telling professionals how to do their jobs, but felt compelled to speak out after repeatedly noticing the same mistakes and patterns in the Super Eagles' style of play.
According to him, politics tends to divide the country because it is driven by self-interest, whereas football does the opposite.
"So dear Super Eagles and intending Super Eagles players, have this at the back of your mind. When you play for Nigeria, regardless of how the NFF treats you, if you choose to say, 'I will play for Nigeria,' understand that you have the potential, the power, and the strength to unite Nigeria. Football is the only thing that brings Muslims and Christians, North, South, East and West together. In case you're not familiar, please review your history.
"When Nigerians play football in our victorious moments, the whole nation forgets where any other person is from. You have to treat it like you are an assassin. I ain't never seen in my life where an assassin, I'm going to ask, maybe I'm wrong. You will never see an assassin have an opportunity to kill somebody and choose to go like this or like this while chewing gum, you get? Chukwueze, I forgive him from the bottom of my heart," said the actor.
He urged the players always to remember that they carry the hopes and expectations of an entire nation whenever they represent the country in any tournament.
Bovi warned that chasing personal glory ahead of collective victory could derail their efforts and ultimately turn them into casualties of their own ambition.
Heroes
Furthermore, he urged the current Super Eagles squad to remember that they are heroes to their generation, just as Nwankwo Kanu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Taribo West, Victor Ikpeba and others were in the 1990s.
He also cautioned them against allowing complacency to set in, stressing that they must not let their advantage slip away.
Bovi noted, "And just so you know, I'm really not blaming only Chukwueze. You need to understand, 1994, those are our heroes. But guess what? They messed up. They made a critical mistake at the most crucial moment. They messed up with two minutes to go.
Nevertheless, they are still our heroes because it was literally our first time at the World Cup. You hardly find a Nigerian who says their hero is a politician or a pastor. Ask Nigerians in my age grade. Nwankwo Kanu, Jay-Jay Okocha, Sunday Oliseh, Taribo West and Victor Ikpeba.
"They are endless. Go and check the 94-96 set. Those are Nigerian heroes. They are the reasons why we are still alive because greater achievements have not erased those memories. When it comes to a 5-5 penalty shootout, if you are not Andre Pio, don't place. We keep a go-kart with two hands. You need to shoot that shit and tear the net like Rashidi Yekini. You get what I'm saying? Stop going on social media. In the 2018 World Cup, Argentina had to beat Nigeria to qualify."
He added that they had the opportunity to become heroes, write their names into history, and be remembered forever.
According to him, the players represented the nation's potential heroes.
"We needed a fucking draw. When Argentina had to play us four days to go and check, no member of the Argentine team was on social media. We were on social media, posting and shit. The heartbreaks are too much. You need to understand that for people like me, you don't have to take my advice, but it's things like this that get us going. As a nation, we're a footballing nation. It's in our body. That's the truth", he said.
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90s experience
Bovi also recalled a near-fatal experience during the 2002 AFCON semi-final between Nigeria and Senegal.
He noted that the Super Eagles' recent loss to Morocco reopened old emotional scars.
"2002 Nations Cup semi-final. In extra time, Senegal scored. Guess what? At the last minute, we equalised. Either Kanu or Julius Aghahowa scored the equaliser goal. The place where I went to watch the match was near the gym. As we equalised there, I mistakenly jumped into one of the guy's armpits. He almost strangled me to death, and his armpits had brown hair and were swelling. I remember where I was when that shit happened. It gets into a penalty.
"And guess what? Wilson Oruma, for whom they have fought, has to play. He has to go to the tournament. They put him just before the game. We had the penalty. He missed it. You get what I'm saying? He missed it. When we were to play Algeria, I was automatic. I remember, I said, Algeria beat us in 2019 for the semi-final with a Riyad Mahrez free kick", said Bovi.
