Nafisat Abdullahi


Nafisat Abdulrahman Abdullahi also known as Nafisat Abdullahi or Nafisa sai wata rana, is a Nigerian actress, producer, director, professional photographer and entrepreneur from Jos, Plateau State, as business woman and entrepreneur she founded a film production company and two startups. Nafisat was a graduate of theater arts from the prestigious University of Jos and currently studying photography in London School of Photography, UK. She received many awards to her credit, such as Afro Hollywood Award, MTN award, AMMA Award and City People Entertainment Award in the year 2013 for Best Actress and a Kannywood Award in 2014 for Best Kannywood Actress, Popular Choice Award. Her film career began at the age of 18 followed by her first leading role in a major film, Sai Wata Rana in 2010 produced by FKD Production and directed by Ali Nuhu.
In 2012, Nafisat appeared in Blood and Henna, a Nigerian film directed by Kenneth Gyang alongside Ali Nuhu and Sadiq Sani Sadiq and went on to receive 6 nominations at the 9th Africa Movie Academy Awards and won Best Costume Design. She starred in the hit movie, Lamiraj which won her Best Actress in 2013 and blog buster film, 'Ya Daga Allah in 2014 both directed by Aminu Saira.

Early life and family

Born in Jos, the capital city of Plateau State, Nigeria, Nafisat is the fourth daughter of Abdulrahman Abdullahi who is an automobile dealer and an elder statesman. She attended Air Force Private School in Jos and upon moving to the Federal Capital Territory, she proceeded to Government Girl Secondary School, Dutse, Abuja, later University of Jos where she pursue her degree in theater arts. As a teenager, she joined the Kannywood movie industry where she began her career under FKD Production with Ali Nuhu as her first ever mentor.

Career

She began her movie career at the age of 18 with FKD Production as her first movie, where she first appeared in Sai Wata Rana in 2010 produced and directed by award winning actor and director Ali Nuhu. Nafisat began to shine among the stars, when she played her first leading role in Sai Wata Rana as a leading actress. Her appearances in Ahlul Kitab and Dan Marayan Zaki in 2012 moved Nafisat's career to new level as the two movie were one of the highest-grossing films of all time.
She is a Business woman and founder of Nahaz Brand, Grand Tailors and a film production company Nafs Entertainment Ltd, where she produce and directed her two movies Guguwar So and Yaki a Soyayya. And currently she is pursuing another career abroad in photography. In 2013, she was invited to Berlin International Film Festival as one of the only two attendees from Nigeria alongside a Nollywood cinematographer and later invited to Nollywood festivals in Atlanta, Scotland, and to date, she is most awarded awarded actress in Kannywood and also the first female to be endorsed by MTN.
In June 2013, she was suspended by a disciplinary committee of Arewa Filmmakers Association of Nigeria for failing to appear before the committee after being summoned for organizing a banned event by the followers of the Hausa movie industry. She was handed two years suspension by the disciplinary committee which was lifted in August 2013 before she went on to star in Aminu Saira's Kalamu Wahid and 'Ya Daga Allah in 2014.

Filmography

Nafisat has acted in numerous Hausa films, amongst them are;

Awards

YearAwardCategoryFilmResult
2013City People Entertainment AwardBest Actress of the Year Ya Daga Allah
2014City People Entertainment AwardBest Actress of the Year Special Awards
20141st Kannywood AwardsBest Kannywood Actress Dan Marayan Zaki
2014AMMA AwardsBest Actress of the YearDan Marayan Zaki
2015City People Entertainment AwardBest Actress of the Year Special Awards
20152nd Kannywood AwardsBest Kannywood ActressSpecial Awards
2016City People Entertainment AwardBest Actress of the Year Special Awards
2016AMMA AwardsBest Actress of the YearDa'iman
20163rd Kannywood AwardsBest Kannywood ActressBaiwar Allah