Osuofia Clarifies Nollywood’s Origins, Says Yoruba Filmmakers Pioneered Home Video
Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has clarified his comments about the origins of Nigeria’s film industry, saying Yoruba filmmakers pioneered home-video productions but did not start Nollywood.
Owoh made the clarification during an interview on Curiosity Made Me Ask, hosted by comedian and content creator Adebayo Abidemi, popularly known as Bae U.
The interview, published on the host’s YouTube channel on Saturday, November 7, followed reports that the veteran actor had claimed Yoruba people started Nollywood rather than the Igbo.
His comments have added to the ongoing debate about the contributions of different ethnic groups to the growth of Nigeria’s film industry.
Osuofia explains his position
During the interview, Owoh rejected the suggestion that he had credited Yoruba filmmakers with starting Nollywood. He explained that the industry did not even have that name when early Nigerian filmmakers began producing films.
He said filmmakers initially came together to exchange ideas and develop the industry before eventually settling on the name Nollywood.
The actor, however, maintained that Yoruba filmmakers played a major role in making home-video productions popular in Nigeria.
He specifically mentioned veteran filmmaker Hubert Ogunde and Adebayo Papa as among the entertainers whose productions he admired.
According to Owoh, Yoruba filmmakers helped establish the popularity of home-video entertainment long before the name Nollywood became widely recognised.
He also disagreed when Bae U jokingly suggested that Ogunde was Igbo, insisting that the late filmmaker was Yoruba.
Summarising his position, Owoh said: “The Yoruba did not start Nollywood. They started Home video.”
The historical debate over Nollywood’s beginnings
The debate over the origins of Nollywood gained fresh attention in August 2026 after late veteran actor Francis Duruargued that Igbo entrepreneurs played a major role in building the modern Nigerian film industry.
Duru, who died in October 2026, had also suggested that Yoruba filmmakers became more dominant in the industry because of their ability to organise and promote their productions.
Historically, Yoruba filmmaking has roots in travelling theatre groups led by pioneers such as Hubert Ogunde and Duro Ladipo. Their stage performances later developed into film and video productions, contributing to the growth of Nigerian cinema.
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However, the modern commercial home-video market is widely associated with the 1992 Igbo-language film Living in Bondage, produced by Kenneth Nnebue. The film helped popularise direct-to-video productions and became an important milestone in the development of the industry.
The name Nollywood emerged later as Nigerian films gained international attention.
Owoh’s latest clarification highlights an important distinction between the earlier history of Yoruba home-video and theatre productions and the commercial film industry that became known globally as Nollywood. It also reflects the contributions of filmmakers and entrepreneurs from different parts of Nigeria to the industry’s development.
