Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi to host BON awards

Radio gal, Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, has been
announced as the host of this year’s edition of Best
of Nollywood awards. Gbemi, as she is fondly
called, will be joined by veteran actor, Fred Amata,
to host the show.
Meanwhile, in Port Harcourt recently, the
organisers of the awards finally released the
nominees for this year’s edition.
According to Niran Adedokun, head of the
screening committee, “The list came out of the
best of productions that have been shot or released
in Nigeria within the past 12 months. A total of 150
entries, out of which 23 were short films were
received this year. These movies have produced
nominees for 30 of the 32 categories that emerged
with this list. The two newly introduced categories
are Best Television Series and Best Documentary.”
Speaking about the upcoming awards, the
executive producer of BON, Seun Oloketuyi said,
“For the past six years, the BON Awards has been
putting a golden seal of excellence on Nigerian
movies and the brains behind them. Every year
has come with its own drama and surprises but we
have remained steadfast in our set mission to
reward creativity, enterprise and excellence in our
industry.”
Chief of Staff to the Rivers State Government, Chief
Peter Okocha, who unveiled the nominees on
behalf of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, described the
relationship with the BON Awards as mutually
beneficial. According to him, “When a lot of people
thought there was insecurity foisted on us
circumstantially and when they thought a situation
of self-help had been foisted on us, we said it was
not true. We kept saying there was peace and
tranquility in the state. But the organisers of BON
had the opportunity of coming here to join us in our
programmes, to the extent that the governor
agreed to the proposal to host a dinner. So, that
allayed the fear of the people who thought there
was no security in the state. As a result, we were
able to regain our lost glory, as nobody was
kidnapped or harassed. Therefore, since you
(BON) came to our rescue, I don’t see why we
should not reciprocate.”
After the announcement of nominees, Kingsley
James, Head, Organising Committee, announced
plans by the organisers to honour the late
filmmaker and director, Amaka Igwe, for her
immense contributions to the growth of Nollywood.
“We have taken it upon ourselves to continue to
remember the late Amaka Igwe; so, we have
unanimously endowed the award for the Director of
the Year in her name. The award category will now
be known as the Amaka Igwe Director of the Year
category,” he said.