Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has clarified his position on the origins of Nigeria’s movie industry, insisting that Yoruba filmmakers pioneered the country’s home-video tradition but did not establish Nollywood as it is known today.
The actor made the clarification during an appearance on Curiosity Made Me Ask, a YouTube programme hosted by comedian and content creator Adebayo Abidemi, popularly known as Bae U. Eyes Of Lagos reports,
His comments have reignited conversations about the contributions of the Yoruba and Igbo communities to the development of Nigerian cinema, particularly following previous disagreements among entertainment personalities over who played the biggest role in building Nollywood.
During the interview, Owoh was asked to explain his earlier comments suggesting that Yoruba people started Nollywood.
However, he rejected the interpretation, explaining that the name Nollywood was not in existence when Nigerian filmmakers began producing movies.
According to him, filmmakers initially focused on developing their productions and exchanging ideas before the name Nollywood was eventually adopted.
He maintained that his comments were specifically about the early development and popularity of home-video productions, rather than claiming that one ethnic group founded the entire Nigerian film industry.
Speaking further, the actor acknowledged the contributions of veteran Yoruba filmmakers, particularly Hubert Ogunde and Adebayo, whom he identified as personalities whose productions he enjoyed watching.
Owoh argued that Yoruba theatre practitioners and filmmakers played an important role in establishing and popularising home-video entertainment in Nigeria long before the industry became internationally recognised as Nollywood.
He also defended Hubert Ogunde’s Yoruba identity when the interviewer jokingly suggested that the late entertainment pioneer was Igbo.
The actor insisted that Ogunde was Yoruba and maintained that his contributions to Nigerian entertainment predated the commercial home-video boom that later transformed the industry.
To make his position clearer, Owoh stated:
“The Yoruba did not start Nollywood. They started Home video.”
His clarification has added another perspective to the ongoing discussion about the history of Nigerian filmmaking.
Long before Nollywood became a globally recognised entertainment brand, Yoruba theatre practitioners were already making significant contributions to Nigerian storytelling.
One of the most influential figures was Hubert Ogunde, whose theatre productions helped establish a strong foundation for modern Yoruba drama and filmmaking.
Other notable pioneers, including Duro Ladipo, Moses Olaiya, popularly known as Baba Sala, and Adeyemi Afolayan, also contributed to the development of Nigerian theatre and cinema.
The Yoruba travelling theatre tradition played an important role in taking Nigerian stories beyond the stage and introducing audiences to filmed productions.
Academic research and historical collections have documented how these theatre traditions influenced the development of Yoruba-language films and the wider Nigerian movie industry.
While Yoruba filmmakers made important contributions to early Nigerian theatre and home-video productions, Igbo filmmakers and entrepreneurs also played a major role in the commercial expansion of modern Nollywood.
One of the landmark productions was Living in Bondage, the 1992 film produced by Kenneth Nnebue, which became a major turning point in the Nigerian home-video market.
Its commercial success helped popularise the direct-to-video filmmaking model and encouraged the production and distribution of more Nigerian movies.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, filmmakers, marketers, distributors and entrepreneurs from different ethnic backgrounds contributed to the industry’s rapid expansion.
The name Nollywood gained international recognition in 2002 after journalist Norimitsu Onishi used it in a report published by The New York Times.
Today, Nollywood has developed into one of Africa’s most influential entertainment industries, with filmmakers and performers from across Nigeria contributing to its growth.
The latest remarks from Nkem Owoh come amid renewed discussions about the historical contributions of different ethnic groups to Nigerian entertainment.
The debate gained further attention in August 2026 following comments by late actor Francis Duru, who argued that Igbo entrepreneurs played a significant role in building modern Nollywood during its commercial home-video boom.
Owoh’s clarification now brings attention back to the distinction between the early history of Yoruba filmmaking, the commercial expansion of home videos and the eventual emergence of Nollywood as an internationally recognised industry.
Rather than reducing the industry’s history to an ethnic competition, the contributions of different filmmakers, actors, producers, theatre practitioners and entrepreneurs deserve recognition.
From Hubert Ogunde and Duro Ladipo to Kenneth Nnebue and generations of contemporary filmmakers, Nigerian cinema has been shaped by many people whose work helped take local stories to audiences around the world.