Nollywood stars support UN backed foundation

Nollywood stars led by Kate Henshaw, Tonto Dikeh and Alex Usifo have attended the unveiling of the UN backed African Children Talent Discovery Foundation programme for 2017.

Other actors at the event include Segun Arinze, Victor Osuagwu, Lilian Esoro, Ejike Asiegbu, Emeka Rollas, Yemi Blaq, Thelma Ojiji, Ifenayi Dike, Sunny McDon, Yakubu Abubakar and Uche Elendu.

The event also had the President of the foundation, Engineer Noah Dallaji in attendance alongside music stars, Faze, Baba Fryo and Marvelous Benjy.

Speaking on the reasons the Nollywood stars are throwing their weight behind the foundation, Segun Arinze said: "ACTDF is purely a talent hunt initiative which seeks to expose raw talents in singing , dancing and acting.

"The event will hold in zonal regions of Lagos, Enugu, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Nasarawa, Ibadan/Ekiti, Bauchi, and Kaduna before the grand finale which takes place on September 1, 2017 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

"The zonal competitions will take place on the 17th, 18th and 19th of August 2017.

"We expect at least 3 winners to emerge from the zones before slugging it out at the grand finale in Port Harcourt . "The first prize winners at the grand finale in Port Harcourt in each category of singing, dancing and acting will win respective contracts of one million Naira plus cash prizes and also join us on the trip to New York for the UN Summit while the first and second runners up will get varied contracts in their respective fields worth millions of Naira as well as cash prizes also," Segun Arinze said.

The foundation's president, Engineer Dallaji said: "This event is cued into this year's United Nation's General Assembly Summit which has tagged this year the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

"We shall hopefully be in the United States come September to depict the potentials in our youths and practically show how we could use it to drive the tourism sector in Nigeria through our various slated side events and general meetings.

"Just as we go round scouting for talents and helping them earn a living we also believe that harnessing these human resources could help improve tourism whether in sports, singing, acting, dancing or even sheer gift of craft- making.

"At the grand finale in Port Harcourt, we look forward to hosting a most successful event that will give our teeming youths a chance to celebrate life and enjoy it to the fullest.

"When we see our efforts impact positively on the needy and watch them in turn use their God- given talents to influence the larger society positively, we become satisfied as this is just the only way great nations evolve - investing in their human and material resource as depicted by the ACTDF logo: Talent Is Great Resource."

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The talent hunt show has held consistently for three years after the foundation's president inaugurated it in 2014.