Boy Alinco Advises Nigerian Parents To Dump Foreign Names

Comic actor, Bayo Bankole, popularly known as Boy Alinco, has urged parents to give their children indigenous names instead of foreign ones.

He stated that this would help in preserving cultural heritage through names, adding that abandoning traditional names could lead to a loss of cultural identity.

Speaking on the Teju Babyface Podcast, he highlighted the beauty of Yoruba names like Oluwaseun, Oluwapamilerinayo, and Oluwasoromidayo, discouraging the preference for foreign names such as Jayden or Biden.

Addressing concerns about pronunciation, he countered the argument that African names are difficult for non-Africans to say, noting that schools and institutions manage to pronounce Dutch, Russian, and Indian names without issue.

He also pointed out the struggles African Americans face in tracing their roots, contrasting this with the strong cultural ties maintained by Indians and Jews through their names.

He said: “It’s because they changed their name, and that’s why I always encourage here that we don’t give our children, Jayden, Biden, all that stuff when we have beautiful names like Oluwaseun, Oluwapamilerinayo, Oluwasoromidayo.

“Look, some will say they won’t be able to call their names in schools, but it’s a lie. They call Dutch names, they call Russian names that even sound awkward.