“Yoruba started Film Industry in Nigeria” – Osuofia

“Yoruba started Film Industry in Nigeria” – Osuofia

Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly called Osuofia, has credited the Yoruba human beings with pioneering Nigeria’s domestic-video enterprise.

The actor made the statement whilst addressing the long-walking debate approximately the contributions of the Yoruba and Igbo groups to the growth of Nollywood.

 

Owoh spoke for the duration of an look on comedian Bae U’s YouTube programme, interest Made Me Ask, where he was requested approximately his alleged claim that Yoruba humans started out Nollywood.

The dialogue comes months after overdue actor Francis Duru sparked controversy in August 2026 when he argued that the Igbo community performed a primary function in building Nollywood, specially for the duration of the commercial domestic-video increase of the Nineties and early 2000s.

in step with him, the name was adopted later after enterprise stakeholders came together to talk about how to logo the rising film enterprise.

He stated:

“first of all, you have given me this wrong accusation that I said, Yoruba began Nollywood. No. Yoruba commenced this movie on…whilst did Nollywood pop out? while we began the element, there was no Nollywood as a call. We sat collectively and we’re branding, you realize, ideas and all that, how the component goes to come to fruition. And subsequently, we chose Nollywood.”

“So, Yoruba began the thing. They made the factor very famous home video and all that. sure, they did. and i’ve said it numerous. Ogunde and Adebayo Papa. those are the humans i love to observe their element.”

while the interviewer jokingly cautioned that Ogunde used to be Igbo, Owoh disagreed and insisted that the late filmmaker was Yoruba.

“Ogunde isn’t Igbo. I’m telling you that Yoruba started out it. while Ogunde used to be out, I don’t suppose there has been any Igbo man who was once that famous in that,” he delivered.

The actor, but, made a difference between the start of the house-video culture and the emergence of Nollywood as a recognized name.

“The Yoruba did no longer start Nollywood. They began home video,” he clarified.

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