Veteran Nigerian actor Ramsey Nouah has revealed that he has never won an Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA), despite his decades-long career in the Nigerian film industry. Nouah made the disclosure during an appearance on a podcast, where he reflected on his experience with the awards and his Best Actor nomination for the 2011 historical drama 76.
The actor said he was nominated in the Best Actor category alongside some of the industry’s biggest names, including Richard Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD, and the late Olu Jacobs.
However, Nouah said he ultimately lost the award, explaining that the voting system used at the time placed greater emphasis on viewers’ votes. According to him, the system differed from the current format, which combines public voting with the decision of a jury.
“I never won an AMVCA. I was nominated for best actor in 76, and I lost. At the time, it was predominantly a viewers’ choice award. Now, you can have the balance of the jury and then the viewers,” Nouah said.
He explained that the voting structure at the time placed nominees with stronger social media visibility and larger followings at an advantage. Nouah said this became particularly significant because social media was not as central to the careers of many established actors at the time as it is today.
“At that time it was predominantly viewers, and the guy who was stronger on social media got it over us. And the nominees were myself, RMD, Uncle Olu Jacobs and the guy won every one of us because we weren’t strong on social media at the time,” he said.
The actor’s nomination for 76 came as recognition for his performance in the historical drama, which was set against the backdrop of the 1976 attempted coup and assassination of former Nigerian Head of State, Murtala Mohammed.
Nouah has remained one of the prominent figures in Nollywood, with a career spanning several decades as an actor, director and filmmaker. His comments highlight the changes that have taken place in the AMVCA voting process and the growing influence of social media on public recognition in the entertainment industry.
While the actor has not secured an AMVCA win, his nomination for 76 placed him among several notable performers competing for the Best Actor prize at the time.