GOV. UDUAGHAN TO CONFER SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD ON PETE EDOCHIE AND OTHERS

Veteran thespians, Pete Edochie and Lanre Hassan popularly known as
Iya Awero, are beside themselves with excitement with the
announcement, this week that they would be honoured with the coveted
Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan Special Recognition Award at this year's Best of Nollywood awards.
In a telephone chat with the ...
organisers, Edochie, a star of many home
videos, expressed his excitement with the recognition, saying, "I feel
happy that the little we have done is being recognised by the current
generation. It is a thing of joy considering also that it is a special
recognition award from a prestigious award ceremony as BON and endowed
by a progressive governor as Governor Uduaghan. I am indeed very
elated by it. See you in November."
On her part, Iya Awero, who recently celebrated her 50th year
anniversary as an actress whose odyssey dates back to the travelling
theatre days before the advent of television soaps and then, home
videos, lauded the organisers for the recognition and the Delta State
Governor particularly for his support of Nollywood. "That this special
recognition is coming the same year that I celebrated my 50th year
anniversary as an actress is very significant for me. I want to thank
the organisers of BON for this honour and to especially thank Governor
Uduaghan for his immense support of Nollywood since he became
governor. With more people like him, Nollywood would be a bigger pride
for us all," Iya Awero said.
Adducing reasons for Edochie and Iya Awero's selection as the
recipients of the Governor Uduaghan Special Recognition Award, the
executive producer of BON, Seun Oloketuyi, said, "Since the inception
of BON, we have made it a cardinal part of the event to celebrate
elders whose arts have catalysed the growth and global acceptance that
Nollywood enjoys today. We don't want to wait until these veterans are
dead to give them post humous awards, which is why we endeavour to
celebrate them while they are still very alive and active. Besides,
this year's honourees are a source of inspiration to young actors
because of their longevity and continued relevance in the industry."
Now in its 5th year, the Best of Nollywood awards has evolved into
arguably Nollywood's most respected reward platform. The 2013 edition
holds in November in Asaba, Delta State.