Nollywood Seniority Debate Deepens as Yinka Quadri, Lere Paimo, Others Weigh In

By George Omagbemi

The debate over seniority in Nigeria’s acting industry has widened after veteran Yoruba actor Yinka Quadri challenged Pete Edochie’s claim about his place in the history of Nigerian acting.

Quadri made the comments during an interview with FeelrightNews TV, aired on YouTube on October 6, where he referenced theatre pioneer Hubert Ogunde and veteran actor Jide Kosoko while discussing the history of Nigerian theatre and acting.

The debate began after Edochie said during an appearance on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast that he started acting in 1962, at the age of 15, and argued that claims by others to be senior to him should be examined against his long career.

Quadri argued that the history of Nigerian acting did not begin with modern Nollywood and pointed to Ogunde’s pioneering contribution to Nigerian theatre. He also noted that Kosoko began acting around 1962 and was already working under theatre practitioner Dele Toyinbo.

Another veteran, Lere Paimo, had earlier challenged Edochie’s timeline, saying he began acting professionally in 1958. Paimo also said he met Ogunde, who was already active in the profession before him. His comments were made during an interview shared by actor Kunle Afod on YouTube in September.

The discussion took another turn on October 6 when Kanayo O. Kanayo, Patience Ozokwo, Charles Awurum and Stephen Alajemba appeared in a viral video discussing the origins of Nigerian cinema. They distinguished the country’s earlier theatre and celluloid traditions from the home-video boom that became associated with modern Nollywood in the 1990s.

The growing debate therefore extends beyond a disagreement between individual actors. It has reopened questions about how Nigerian entertainment history should define seniority, theatre, early cinema, television and modern Nollywood.

While Edochie has cited his 1962 stage performance as evidence of his long career, other veterans have pointed to earlier careers and traditions that predate that period.

The exchange has also renewed calls for better documentation of Nigeria’s entertainment history, particularly the contributions of early theatre and cinema pioneers whose work preceded the emergence of Nollywood as a recognised industry.