Shame! NAFCA asks desperate Nollywood stars, filmmakers to pay $1500 for Invitation Letter

G-a-w-d! Who will save us from the massive exploitation going on in the name of Nollywood, which is now an all comers’ affair?

Highly reliable info filtering into SHOWBIZPLUSng has it that desperate Nollywood actors, producers, directors, marketers and many others that desperately wanted to storm Obama’s land were openly asked to pay the sum of $1500, which is over N200,000, just to get the invitation letter of Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards (NAFCA), which ordinarily should be free, if going by global best practices. J-e-e-z!

Even as big as Oscars, Grammys, Berlin, Venice, Cannes and other international film festivals and awards are, they don’t ask for a dime before issuing attendees, especially invited guests with invitation letters.

So, why are the organizers of NAFCA, a budding award scheme that is not even up to five years, asking would be participants to cough out such hefty amount of money for ordinary invitation letter?

In fact, SHOWBIZPLUSng learnt that some desperate money bags in Nollywood even paid more to get the ‘elusive’ invitation letter to enable them process their visas for this year’s award that held in September.

An angry and anonymous top player in Nollywood, who confirmed the ugly news to us, said she was disappointed and dazed when the organizers brazenly told her to pay the sum of $1500, before she could get an invitation letter to attend this year’s NAFCA.

“I could not attend this year’s NAFCA because the organizers asked me to pay $1500, to get the invitation letter. Initially, I thought they were joking, but they insisted I must pay the said amount because others paid. After several pleas, the organizers said I should pay half the money, which I told them I do not have. And true to their words, they didn’t send me the letter.

I decided to speak out because in all my years of attending international awards and film festivals, I‘ve never been asked to pay a dime for invitation letter, I always get them free. I’m also disappointed with those that paid Victor Olatoye and his NAFCA team such amount of money to get invitation letter…,”maintained the disgusted entertainer.

Meanwhile, we could not reach the organizers of the Victor Olatoye-led NAFCA for reactions, before publishing this shocking and embarrassing report of cash-for-invitation-letter scandal. But trust us to keep you posted as more revelations unfurl.

 May God save tinsel town from external hawks and predators who now exploit Nollywood stars and filmmakers financially to get ordinary invitation letter for an unknown award.