The Nigerian Entertainment Conference, holding on Wednesday April 22 at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, will take time out to specially recognize some prominent Nigerian entertainment personalities who have passed on over the past five years.
Among those to be remembered are much-loved Nollywood actor Muna Obiekwe, singer and TV star Susan Filani aka Goldie, renowned movie producer Amaka Igwe, rapper Olaitan Oladapo aka Dagrin, Kannywood actor Dan Ibro, and acting legend Justus Esiri. Others who will be remembered on the day are distinguished fashion designer Oluremi Dorcas Osholake aka Remi Lagos, Margaret-Mary Joseph aka Zara Gretti, prolific actor Enebeli Ebeluwa, singer Kefee Don Momoh and actors Sam Loco Efe, Peter Eneh, and Francis Agu.
Others to be recognized are actresses Bisi Komolafe and Ashley Nwosu, Yoruba movie actor Ishola Durojaiye aka Ahmed Alasari, Nigerian music icon Fatai Olayiwola Olagunju aka Fatai Rolling Dollar, street music symbol Olufemi Mayomi aka Father U-Turn, actor Tony Umole, movie producer Collins Ifeanyichukwu, rapper Obiajulu Kenneth Nwaozor aka MC Loph, comedian John Chijioke aka CD John and music icon Christy Essien Igbokwe.
The annual Nigerian Entertainment Conference, organized by Nigerian Entertainment Today (NET) is a discussion and agenda-setting forum for the entertainment industry in Nigeria and since its inception in 2013, it has become the premier location for all internal and external conversations in the industry. NECLive 3 is themed “Buying And Selling Nigerian Entertainment…And Everything In Between” and it will bring together several important personalities from across the many fields within the entertainment industry such as EbonyLife CEO, Mo Abudu, veteran actress, Joke Silva, Iroko TV founder, Jason Njoku, pop superstar Davido, founder of NotJustOk, Demola Ogundele, music producer Shizzi, fashion designer Mai Atafo, Quilox Club owner Shina Peller and actress Ini Edo.
Apart from honouring departed entertainers, living Nigerian entertainers will be awarded NET Honours in recognition of their contribution to the Nigerian Entertainment Industry. This year’s NET Honours list includes some industry behemoths such as celebrated OAP JAJ, respected music producer Cobhams Asuquo and iconic actor and musical pioneer Moses Olaiya aka Baba Sala,
For more details on NECLive 3, visit cdnec.ng.
PROFILES
Amaka Igwe – Producer/Director
Amaka Igwe (1963-2014) was an award-winning filmmaker and media executive. She was the owner of Top Radio 90.9 Lagos, Amaka Igwe Studios, and many other companies. She was one of the founding forces of Nollywood and an immense contributor to the development of Nigeria’s entertainment industry.
Remi Lagos – Fashion Designer
Oluremi Dorcas Osholake Remi aka Remi Lagos was a passionate fashion designer and executive who worked hard to bring indigenous Nigerian fashion to the consciousness of Nigerian consumers as well as to the frontline of international fashion exposure. Her work was showcased at international fashion events in cities like Johannesburg, Accra and London. She showcased her last collection during the African Fashion Week in London in August, 2012.
Muna Obiekwe – Actor
Muna Obiekwe was a Nollywood actor who was popular across Africa for his roles in movies such as Eye of the Gods (2004),Unstoppable (2010) and Secret Code (2011) He tragically passed away in January 2015 after a long battle with kidney disease.
Zara Gretti – Musician
Nigerian-American singer Margaret-Mary Joseph aka Zara Gretti achieved recognition with songs such as “The Flyest” and “Teno”. She bravely fought a long and painful battle with Multiple Sclerosis until she passed away in March 2014 at the age of 28.
Enebeli Ebeluwa – Actor
Enebeli Elebuwa was a prolific actor with over one hundred and thirty movies to his credit. The Delta State indigene was one of the most recognisable and respected faces in the Nigerian entertainment industry and on the African continent as a whole. He passed away in 2012the age of 65.
Dan Ibro – Actor
Rabilu Musa aka Dan Ibro was a popular Hausa language actor and comedian in the Kano movie industry, often known as Kannywood. In the course of his career, he was arrested several times for acting in movies deemed to contravene strict censorship rules in Kano. He died on December 9, 2014 at the age of 44.
Olaitan Oladapo (Dagrin) – Musician
Born 21 October, 1987, Dagrin was a rapper who popularised the use of indigenous languages and West African pidgin in rap music. His success sparked off an indigenous urban music revolution in Nigeria and across Africa. At the peak of his success, Dagrin tragically passed away in April 2010 after a vehicle accident. He was aged 22.
Susan Filani (Goldie) – Musician
Susan Oluwabimpe “Goldie” Filani Harvey, born 23 October 1983, was a professional singer and reality TV star. She built a thriving music career and she was building a TV career when she suddenly passed away shortly after the Grammy Awards in 2013.
Kefee Don Momoh (Kefee) – Musician
Kefee Obareki Don Momoh aka Kefee, was an award-winning Nigerian female gospel singer and composer. She was also involved in charity and humanitarian projects. In recognition of her humanitarian efforts, she was awarded the International Young Ambassador for Peace Award in 2009. She died of lung failure in 2014.
Sam Loco Efe – Actor
Sam Loco Efe was a Nigerian actor and director who was renowned for his hilarious interpretations of characters in a series of successful comedy films. He passed away in August 2011.
Justus Esiri – Actor
Justus Esiri (November 20, 1942 – February 19, 2013) was one of Nigeria’s finest actors and one of the founding pillars of Nollywood, having started his acting career in the 1960s. He has won several awards including an Order of the Niger (OON) and a posthumous award for Best Actor award at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards. He is also the father of popular Mavin Records recording artist Dr. Sid.
Peter Eneh – Actor
Peter Eneh was a Nollywood veteran and one Nigeria’s most respected actors. Before his death in 2012, he featured in dozens of films and served two terms as chairman of the Enugu chapter of the Actors Guild of Nigeria.
Ashley Nwosu – Actress
Ashley Chijioke Nwosu was an actor, known for I Need My Husband, Keeping Close (2006) andKeeping Close 2 (2006). He died on April 21, 2011 in Lagos.
Bisi Komolafe – Actress
Bisi Komolafe was a popular Yoruba movie actress and a producer. After featuring in several successful Yoruba movies such as Akanmole and Ebute, she ventured into movie production and she successfully produced three movies, Latonwa (2009), Oka (2010) and Igboro Ti Daru, she was working on her fourth movie release Eja tu tu when she tragically passed away on Monday, December 31st, 2012.
Francis Agu – Actor
Francis Agu was a legendary Nollywood actor who starred in video Living In Bondage, Nigeria’s first home video and the genesis of the modern Nigerian film industry. After a long acting career which spanned film, stage TV, Francis Agu passed away in March 2007.
Ishola Durojaiye (Ahmed Alasari) – Actor
Ishola Durojaiye is an actor and producer, known for successful Yoruba titles such as Oyin Tokoro(2005), Ologbo iya ijebu 2 (2007) and Ologbo iya ijebu (2007). He featured in dozens of Yoruba movies and was a mainstay of the Yoruba movie industry. He passed away in 2011.
Fatai Olayiwola Olagunju (Fatai Rolling Dollar) – Musician
Prince Olayiwola Fatai Olagunju aka Fatai Rolling was one of Nigeria’s most iconic musicians and a nationally celebrated performer. Having started his musical career in the early 1950s, he mentored artistes such as Ebenezer Obey and Orlando Owoh who later went on to become Nigerian music legends. Known for his exceptional guitar skills, Fatai Rolling Dollar passed away in 2013.
Olufemi Mayomi (Father U-Turn) – Musician
Father ‘U’ Turn was a mainstay in the Nigerian dancehall scene in the 90s. The singer, songwriter, radio presenter and recording artiste had an extensive background in the Nigerian media industry with broadcasting stints in Kogi State and NTA before trying his hands at music. He passed away in 2013.
Tony Umole – Actor
Tony Umole was a leading actor who achieved fame for his role as ‘Daddy’ in the popular TV show One Love. Umole acted in Abuja Connection back in 2003. He also featured in several other movies and soap operas. He passed away in 2013.
Collins Ifeanyichukwu – Movie Producer
Collins Ifeanyichukwu was a movie producer with several successful titles like The Burning Flames, el-Gibor, Back to Bethel under his belt. Based in Abuja, he was one of a few Nigerian media entrepreneurs who proved that it is possible to survive in thrive in the industry without being in Lagos Until his death in 2013, he was the PRO-elect of the Actors guild of Nigeria (AGN) Abuja chapter.
Obiajulu Kenneth Nwaozor (MC Loph) – Musician
MC Loph was a Nigerian musician who came to prominence with his urban adaptation of the highlife classic ‘Osondi-Owendi’ by Osita Osadebe. His effortless combination of modern urban delivery with old-school highlife and jazz rhythms was a key contributor to the emergence of a vibrant and distinctive Nigerian urban music scene. He passed away in 2011.
John Chijioke (CD John) – Comedian
John Chijioke, was a gifted singer and comedian who achieved considerable success as a stand-up comedian and MC. Especially remembered for his hilarious Christian worship comedy sketches, he was set to establish himself as a big player in Nigeria’s comedy scene until his untimely death in 2011.
Christy Essien Igbokwe – Musician
Christy Uduak Essien-Igbokwe MFR (11 November 1960 – 30 June 2011) was a musician and actress often referred to asNigeria’s Lady of Songs. Boasting a repertoire of successful hit tracks, she was one of the first Nigerian musicians to appeal to different ethnic groups by singing in different Nigerian languages. She later became the first female president of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN). Till date, she remains the only female president of a trade union in Nigeria. She is also a founding member of the Performing and Mechanical Rights Society (PMRS) of Nigeria which fought for the rights of entertainment industry practitioners in Nigeria.