AIFF 2026 Honours Pete Edochie, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Others

It was an emotional and historic night of tributes at the closing ceremony of the 23rd Abuja International Film Festival, where the festival paid glowing homage to veterans who shaped the foundations of African cinema.

The elite gathering bestowed the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award and Industry Merit Award on five legendary figures whose combined careers span over multiple generations.

Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award were two legendary matriarchs of the screen: Madam Grace Owoola Oyin-Adejobi (popularly known as Iya Osogbo), whose illustrious seven-decade career began in 1953, and Dame Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, OON, an internationally acclaimed pillar of performing arts, journalism, and television.
The Industry Merit Award was conferred on cinematic colossus Chief Dr. Pete Edochie, MON, globally celebrated for his definitive 1985 portrayal of Okonkwo in ‘Things Fall Apart,’ alongside Otunba Adebayo Salami (Oga Bello), a pioneering force of Yoruba cultural heritage and indigenous cinema.

Both patriarchs were specifically honored for birthing a new generation of brilliant filmmakers and actors within their families, ensuring their artistic legacies remain multi-generational.
Reflecting on these honors, Dr. Shaibu Husseini, Executive Director of the National Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), remarked on the profound importance of documenting and celebrating industry pioneers:

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“The National Film and Video Censors Board is incredibly proud to associate with the AIFF in honoring these living legends. Figures like Pete Edochie, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Adebayo Salami, and Grace Oyin-Adejobi are the institutional memory of Nollywood.

Their dedication is the reason Nigeria is the second-largest film industry in the world today. Honoring them ensures that the younger generation understands the shoulders of the giants upon whom they stand.”
The awards were presented amidst standing ovations, sealing a memorable night where history met the future of African entertainment.