Ramsey Nouah Opens Up on How Social Media Cost Him, RMD and Olu Jacobs an AMVCA Win
- Ramsey Nouah admitted he has never won an AMVCA as an actor despite decades in Nollywood
- The actor was nominated in 2011 alongside RMD and the late Olu Jacobs for his role in the film 76
- Nouah pointed to the viewer-only voting system at the time, saying a stronger social media presence decided the winner
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Veteran actor Ramsey Nouah has opened up about a long-standing gap in his award cabinet, admitting that he has never taken home an Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Award as an actor despite being one of Nollywood's most recognisable faces.
Nouah made the disclosure during a sit-down with host Isbae U on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast, which aired on YouTube on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Source: Instagram
Ramsey Nouah traced the loss back to his 2011 AMVCA nomination in the Best Actor category for his performance in the historical drama 76.
What made the defeat particularly striking was the calibre of his fellow nominees, Richard Mofe-Damijo (popularly known as RMD) and the late Olu Jacobs.
How viewers' votes decided the AMVCA winner
Rather than pointing fingers at the competition itself, Ramsey Nouah said the voting structure at the time was the deciding factor.
In 2011, the AMVCA relied almost entirely on public votes, with no jury component to counterbalance audience popularity.
That system, he argued, heavily favoured nominees with a bigger digital footprint.
"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," he said.
The veteran actor went further, explaining that the nominee who ultimately walked away with the award outperformed all three of them online.
"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."
Source: Instagram
Ramsey Nouah's record behind the camera
While Nouah's acting shelf remains without an AMVCA, his directorial work tells a different story entirely.
He won Best Director at the 7th AMVCA in 2020 for Living in Bondage: Breaking Free, his debut behind the camera, and repeated the feat at the 8th AMVCA in 2022 for Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story.
During the same podcast appearance, Nouah also pushed back against the popular habit of splitting the film industry into "old" and "new" Nollywood, arguing that the industry is a single, continuous body that has evolved through technology and time.
Watch Ramsey Nouah speak on how social media cost him, RMD and Olu Jacobs an AMVCA win in the YouTube video below:
Ramsey Nouah clarifies his nationality and cultural background
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that veteran Nollywood actor Ramsey Nouah explained that he is of mixed heritage, with a Yoruba mother from Ondo State and a Lebanese father.
The 55-year-old actor explained that his Yoruba fluency comes from his upbringing in Lagos and his maternal background.
Nouah began his acting career in the early 1990s before later venturing into directing, making his directorial debut with Living in Bondage: Breaking Free in 2019.
Source: Legit.ng
