Headies Awards Founder, Ayo Animasaun Begs Nigerians for Support

Few hours after the full list of nominations for the 2025 Headies Awards scheduled to take place on April 5 was released, the founder and owner of Hip TV couldn't hide his worries about how much support Nigerians give to the Grammys at the detriment of local awards like the Headies which is gradually gaining currency internationally. But wait a bit, could it be because it was moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the U.S for two good years: 2022 and 2023? 

Well, while speaking on Channels Television, Animasaun first acknowledged the popularity of the Grammys in Nigeria and questioned why it is so when local awards should have that kind of popularity instead. He stressed that many of those awards like America Music awards, BET, World Music Awards, Oscars, MTV, etc., weren't so popular in their host cities and countries. He berated Nigerian who don't hype them and boasted that the plaques given to winners at the Headies are 21-karat gold plated with copper which couldn't have been any different from what they give at the Grammys. He therefore added that while international recognition was valuable, local stakeholders should prioritise celebrating and promoting local talents and awards like the Headies.

Although he sounded optimistic about increased interest in the Nigerian creative sector, particularly from the government and the recently appointed Minister of Creative Economy, limited (financial) support from corporate organizations and even the government is still a major challenge.