Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has credited the Yoruba people with pioneering Nigeria’s home-video industry.
The actor made the statement while addressing the long-running debate about the contributions of the Yoruba and Igbo communities to the growth of Nollywood.
Owoh spoke during an appearance on comedian Bae U’s YouTube programme, Curiosity Made Me Ask, where he was asked about his alleged claim that Yoruba people started Nollywood.
The discussion comes months after late actor Francis Duru sparked controversy in August 2026 when he argued that the Igbo community played a major role in building Nollywood, particularly during the commercial home-video boom of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Osuofia explains Yoruba’s role in Nigerian film industry
Responding to the question, Owoh explained that the name Nollywood did not exist when filmmakers began producing movies in Nigeria.
According to him, the name was adopted later after industry stakeholders came together to discuss how to brand the emerging film industry.
He said:
“First of all, you have given me this wrong accusation that I said, Yoruba started Nollywood. No. Yoruba started this film on…when did Nollywood come out? When we started the thing, there was no Nollywood as a name. We sat together and we’re branding, you know, ideas and all that, how the thing is going to come to fruition. And eventually, we chose Nollywood.”
The actor maintained that Yoruba filmmakers were instrumental in making home-video productions popular across Nigeria.
Osuofia mentions Hubert Ogunde, Adebayo
Owoh also recognised the contributions of veteran Yoruba filmmakers Hubert Ogunde and Adebayo, whom he described as personalities whose productions he enjoyed watching.
He said:
“So, Yoruba started the thing. They made the thing very popular home video and all that. Yes, they did. And I’ve said it several. Ogunde and Adebayo Papa. These are the people I love to watch their thing.”
When the interviewer jokingly suggested that Ogunde was Igbo, Owoh disagreed and insisted that the late filmmaker was Yoruba.
“Ogunde is not Igbo. I’m telling you that Yoruba started it. When Ogunde was out, I don’t think there was any Igbo man who was that popular in that,” he added.
The actor, however, made a distinction between the beginning of the home-video tradition and the emergence of Nollywood as a recognised name.
“The Yoruba did not start Nollywood. They started Home video,” he clarified.
How Nollywood got its name
Historical accounts trace the development of Nigerian cinema to early theatre practitioners and filmmakers, including Yoruba travelling theatre groups that moved from stage performances to film and television productions.
Among the pioneers was Hubert Ogunde, whose contributions helped shape the country’s early entertainment industry.
The establishment of Western Nigeria Television (WNTV) in Ibadan in 1959 also marked an important stage in the development of television broadcasting in Nigeria.
The commercial home-video market expanded significantly during the 1990s, with Igbo filmmakers and entrepreneurs playing prominent roles in its growth.
The name Nollywood became popular in 2002 after New York Times journalist Norimitsu Onishi used it in a report titled Step Aside, L.A. and Bombay, for Nollywood, published on September 16 of that year.
The debate over the contributions of different ethnic groups to Nigerian cinema has continued, with Owoh’s latest comments adding another perspective to the discussion.