Nollywood actor and influencer pays VIP visit to Waterside

The University of Northampton (UON) rolled out the red carpet for an influential Nollywood actor last week, whose UK visit led him to meet with staff and students at Waterside campus.

Ayodeji Richard Makun, also known by his stage name A.Y, is a Nigerian actor, writer, comedian, and social media influencer who, with a combined social media following of more than 22 million, has been making waves throughout the world as the CEO of Corporate World Entertainment Nigeria and a United Nations Peace Ambassador.

Vice Chancellor Anne-Marie Kilday was on hand to welcome Ayo to campus alongside representatives from the University’s Nigerian Student Society.

The meet was a valuable opportunity for discussions around opening the doors for the University of Northampton to strengthen its relationship and explore future collaborations with Ayo himself, ‘Nollywood’ –the Nigerian popular film industry – and the actor guild of Nigeria.

On the visit, Anne-Marie said: “I was delighted to welcome Ayo to the University of Northampton, provide him a tour of our facilities and introduce him to our students and staff across campus. Safe to say, it wasn’t long before he drew in a crowd and took some selfies with plenty of UON fans!

“As a mentor to countless young people across Africa, we are excited to continue building a close relationship with AY and exploring the two-way support we can offer to enhance and uphold our closer collaboration with Nollywood and significant Nigerian partners in the coming years.”