RismadarVoice Reporters
November 10, 2026
Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has clarified that he never claimed that Yoruba people founded Nollywood, explaining that his earlier remarks referred to their pioneering contributions to Nigeria’s home-video industry.
Owoh clarified during an appearance on Curiosity Made Me Ask, a podcast hosted by comedian and content creator Adebayo Abidemi, popularly known as Isbae U.
The interview, released on Saturday, November 7, followed renewed public debate over the historical contributions of Yoruba and Igbo filmmakers to the development of Nigeria’s movie industry.
Responding to suggestions that he had credited Yoruba filmmakers with establishing Nollywood, Owoh rejected the interpretation, explaining that the industry existed before the name became widely recognised.
He maintained that Yoruba filmmakers had already made significant contributions to theatre, filmmaking and home-video entertainment before the emergence of modern Nollywood.
The actor specifically acknowledged the influence of veteran filmmaker Hubert Ogunde and actor Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, whose productions helped popularise indigenous entertainment.
According to Owoh, the contributions of these early practitioners deserved recognition without suggesting that one ethnic group was solely responsible for establishing the Nigerian film industry.
He explained that when he and other practitioners began developing their careers, the term Nollywood had not yet been adopted.
The actor recalled that filmmakers subsequently held discussions about strengthening and identifying the growing industry, eventually embracing the name Nollywood.
His clarification comes amid longstanding disagreements over the historical origins of Nigerian cinema and the contributions of different ethnic groups.
In August, the late veteran actor Francis Duru argued that Igbo entrepreneurs played a central role in developing modern Nollywood through the commercial home-video boom of the 1990s.
However, Yoruba theatre practitioners had established influential traditions of stage performances and indigenous filmmaking decades earlier.
The 1992 Igbo-language film Living in Bondage, produced by Kenneth Nnebue, is widely regarded as a major turning point in the commercial expansion of Nigeria’s home-video industry.
Historical accounts also recognise earlier Yoruba-language film productions that contributed to the development of the market.
The name Nollywood gained international prominence in 2002, following its appearance in a New York Times article about Nigeria’s expanding film industry.
Owoh’s latest remarks emphasise the distinction between pioneering home-video production and establishing the modern industry known as Nollywood.
His clarification highlights the contributions of filmmakers, producers, actors and marketers from different backgrounds to the growth of Nigerian cinema.
