Nkem Owoh Clarifies Yoruba Filmmakers Started Home Video, Not Nollywood

Veteran Nollywood actor Nkem Owoh, popularly known as Osuofia, has clarified the contributions of Yoruba filmmakers to the development of Nigeria’s movie industry, insisting that they pioneered home-video productions but did not establish Nollywood.

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

The actor was responding to questions about his earlier comments on the roles played by Yoruba and Igbo filmmakers in shaping the Nigerian film industry.

He dismissed claims that he had described Yoruba people as the founders of Nollywood, explaining that the name was not in existence when he and other filmmakers began producing movies.

According to Owoh, the name Nollywood was adopted later after industry stakeholders held discussions on how to develop and establish a distinct identity for Nigeria’s film industry.

“First of all, you have given me this wrong accusation that I said, Yoruba started Nollywood. No. When we started the thing, there was no Nollywood as a name,” he said.

However, the actor acknowledged the significant contributions of Yoruba filmmakers to the early development of Nigeria’s home-video industry.

He specifically mentioned veteran filmmaker Hubert Ogunde and actor Adebayo Salami, popularly known as Oga Bello, as among those who pioneered and popularised home-video productions.

“The Yoruba did not start Nollywood. They started home video,” Owoh added.

His comments come amid renewed discussions about the contributions of different ethnic groups to the growth of Nigeria’s entertainment industry.

In August 2026, late Nollywood actor Francis Duru argued that Igbo entrepreneurs played a major role in building modern Nollywood through the home-video boom of the 1990s and early 2000s.

The 1992 movie Living in Bondage, produced by Kenneth Nnebue, is widely credited with helping popularise commercial home-video production and distribution, which became a major foundation of modern Nollywood.