9jaNollywoodstars

The 2007 edition of the Niteshift Coliseum Nollywood Nite was held the other Sunday night at the Niteshift Coliseum,Ikeja and was a gathering of who-is-who in the Nigerian movie industry as the Coliseum threw its doors open for the second edition of the Nollywood night.The whole hall was filled to the brim with popular actors and actresses,their producers,directors, musicians,stand-up comedians to the young and upcoming showbiz personalities and the media gurus.

It was indeed a night of glamour filled with fun,where the good,the bad and the ugly were displayed from the most splendid to the outrageous.Stella Damasus-Aboderin, Jennifer Eliogu and Ohi Alegbe were the comperes.The event could not have held at a better time,with the yuletide season around the corner,Nigerians are beginning to revel in the mood of the season.Like the first edition that held amidst fanfare more than 12 months ago,this year’s was no exception.The stakeholders gathered for a reception to honour and celebrate the very best of Nollywood,said to be the third largest movie industry after Hollywood and Bollywood.

The prestigious event was supported by Amstel Malta,a product of Nigerian Breweries Plc and MTN bore the insignia of the two corporate bodies who have before now used the incredible platform of Nollywood to sell their brands and services to their consumers.The evening of glamour kicked off at 6pm with a red carpet reception that lasted all of 60 minutes.Some of the earliest arrivals include Mr. and Mrs. Alex Usifo,Emeka Ossai and his wife,Obey Etuk, Madam Kofo with her signature skyscraper headgear.The paparazzi had a field day taking the very best shots availed them by the intriguing garbs adorned by a majority of the attendees.Their style came in the very best of designs.

The scene was reminiscent of what obtains at the Oscars and Grammy.A beautiful dramatic display of fire works that lasted 15 minutes riveted eyes to the heavens when the sky bore a combination of colours with sparks flying in different directions signaling the end of segment one (the red carpet reception) and the beginning of segment two.Soon after, guests were relishing the cozy interior of the Arena where they were treated to a fresh round of entertainment. Coliseum in house band,The Shifters Band, was in their elements when they presented their carefully choreographed dance routine to an appreciative audience.

The Guvnor of the Niteshift, Ken Calebs Olumese in his welcome address intoned that the 2007 edition is an improvement on the previous year’s.He intimated of the forthcoming 20th anniversary of the upscale club that will take place next year.The combined efforts of the comperes ensured there was no dull moment to be experienced. They made sure the audience was a participatory one.Dreadlocked act,Rhymzo was the first musician to perform for the night.He was charged with setting an upbeat mood for the night.He dished out two wave-making hits from his repertoire that got the crowd swaying effortlessly.Okey Bakassi was able to sustain the high tempo of the occasion with his rib cracking jokes. He threw his jibes right at the audience who were engulfed with rapturous laughter in the midst of wining and dining.

The industry has come a long way having achieved international recognition. All these could not have been possible without the contributions of some people who made it happen.These set of people who by dint of hard work have made it to the hierarchy of the profession and rank among those who have professed love for the screen were honoured at the Nollywood night.The first set of awards went to time-tested actress, Joke Silva,Emma Edokpayi,Yoruba movie actor Jide Kosoko,ace cinematographer/movie producer,Tunde Kelani and Justus Esiri of The Village Headmaster fame.

Yahoozey crooner,Olu Maintain,literarily set the house on fire with his hit single Yahoozey that is currently ruling the airwaves and has become a national anthem among youths and elders alike.The young chap whose sojourn in the music world began with the defunct Maintain group made up of himself,Tolu and Big Bamo,went on to surprise critics when his debut solo effort spiraled above expectation.Unable to resist the lure of good music,the likes of Obey Etuk,Madam Kofo and Rachael Oniga found their way upstage doing the popularised Yahoozey step.His five star performance was a hit with the guests who nodded in approval to the lyrics as if asking for more.He was the man of the night.

The second set of awardees after a thrilling musical break was made up of movie industry icons like Olu Jacobs who was in far-away United kingdom,Clarion Chukwura who by popular opinion was adjudged the best dressed for the night.She was indeed red carpet worthy she looked sexy and glamorous.In fact, her appearance that night made her look far younger.When she was called to the podium, the effect was electric.
Okechukwu Ogunjiofor who starred in the first ever home video in Nigeria with Living In Bondage,Toun Oni,a cross-over actress and Chief Eddie Ugbomah who has written his name in letters of gold in movie world of celluloid films like Oyenusi,Death of a Black President among others.

The roll call was impressive.Actors and actresses from the Yoruba and English language movie sector were in attendance although the number of the latter far outweighed the former.