By Patricia Uyeh

 It was the gathering of Nollywood’s talented and finest celebrities. They came enmasse gorgeously and tastefully dressed. While there were the early birds, others came in the nick of time, just as the ceremony opened.

Of course, there were the fashionably late celebs.

Some celebrities were very prepared for the event as they changed into more than one outfit.

Speaking with dapper-looking actor, Daniel K Daniel, who said that even though he was not nominated in any category this year, he had high hopes for the movies ( 76 and Oloibiri) which he was among the cast, to bag the awards in their respective categories.  He also bared his mind on the state of the Nollywood. According to him, the scourge of piracy is eating deep into the movie industry. He was hoping that it would be tackled for the progress of Nollywood.

The ”Wedding party” actress, Beverly Naya looked absolutely stunning in her black lace gown. She said she was at the awards to have fun. When asked the last thing she searched on google, she could not quite remember. According to the sultry actress, she took more than two hours to get dressed for the occasion.

Another dapper looking actor, Kelechi Udegbe, popular for his lead role in comedy series, Officer Titus, took time to talk about the qualities the younger generation should look out for in role models in the movie industry. He emphasised that open mindedness, hard work and consistency were very key qualities.  Speaking on the state of the Nigerian Industry, he was of the opinion that the older generation should be more appreciated for having laid the foundation for the new generation of actors. He also said that government should take interest in investing in the  Nollywood industry.

Iyabo Ojo, another Nollywood diva, who made heads turn upon her arrival in her smashing outfit, said that she spent more than two hours getting dressed up for the awards. She also gave some wisdom nuggets for the younger generation who want to make headway in Nollywood. She said they should be determined, focused and hardworking.

 Allure Vanguard spoke to other guests which included music artistes like Mavins record label artiste, Di’Ja, Waje , Timi Dakolo amongst others, who came to support the Nigerian movie industry.

Some other guest revealed that they had come to support Nollywood and were not particularly rooting for anyone. They were hoping that AMVCA 2017 would be better than the previous year.

See more photos of Nigerian celebrities at the red carpet of AMVCA below: