Osuofia Reacts to Yoruba-Igbo Debate Over Who Started Nollywood

According to Punch, veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has clarified his position on the origins of Nigeria’s home-video industry, explaining that although Yoruba filmmakers pioneered and popularised home-video productions, they did not start Nollywood.

Owoh made the clarification during an interview on Curiosity Made Me Ask, a programme hosted by comedian and content creator Adebayo Abidemi, popularly known as Bae U.

The interview, which was shared on the host’s YouTube channel on Saturday, November 7, 2026, addressed the controversy surrounding the actor’s earlier comments about the contributions of Yoruba and Igbo filmmakers to the Nigerian movie industry.

The discussion follows a debate that gained attention in August 2026 after late Nollywood actor Francis Duru argued that the Igbo played a major role in building Nollywood, while the Yoruba community had become more prominent through its organisation and promotion of its film industry.

Duru maintained that Igbo entrepreneurs were largely responsible for driving the home-video market during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Responding to the issue, Owoh rejected the suggestion that he had claimed Yoruba people founded Nollywood, explaining that the name was not even in existence when filmmakers began developing the industry.

He said the name was adopted later after industry stakeholders came together to discuss ideas about how to develop the emerging film business.

“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 banding, you know, ideas and all that, how the thing is going to come to fruition. And eventually, we chose Nollywood,” he said.

The veteran actor, however, acknowledged the contributions of Yoruba filmmakers to the growth of home-video productions in Nigeria, particularly mentioning legendary filmmaker Hubert Ogunde and Adebayo.

According to him, Yoruba practitioners played a significant role in making home-video productions popular among Nigerian audiences.

“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. Okay. Ogunde and Adebayo Papa. These are the people I love to watch their thing,” Owoh added.

During the conversation, the interviewer jokingly suggested that Ogunde was Igbo, but the actor immediately disagreed, insisting that the 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 said.

Owoh further made a distinction between the origins of Nollywood and the earlier home-video tradition, stressing that the two should not be confused.

“The Yoruba did not start Nollywood. They started Home video,” he clarified.

The debate over the origins of Nigerian cinema has continued for years, with different ethnic groups and industry stakeholders highlighting their contributions to its development.

Historical accounts trace the early growth of Yoruba filmmaking to travelling theatre practitioners, including Hubert Ogunde and Duro Ladipo, whose stage performances eventually influenced film and video productions.

However, the commercial expansion of Nigeria’s direct-to-video industry is widely associated with the 1992 film Living in Bondage, produced by Kenneth Nnebue. The Igbo-language production helped popularise the home-video format and contributed significantly to the emergence of what later became known internationally as Nollywood.

The name Nollywood itself came into use years after the industry’s early developments.

Owoh’s latest comments therefore highlight the distinction between the earlier Yoruba home-video tradition and the commercial growth of Nollywood during the 1990s.

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