Yoruba movie icon Yemi Solade has set social media ablaze with his bold claim that he holds seniority over Nollywood legend Pete Edochie—not in age, but in professional acting years. In a now-viral video posted online on Wednesday, July 24, 2025, the veteran actor said he began his career as Nigeria’s youngest actor in 1977 at the age of 17, predating Edochie’s debut.
Solade used the platform to challenge dominant narratives about the origin of Nollywood, arguing that the Yoruba film industry has been unfairly sidelined due to lack of early media documentation. “They say the English-speaking side started Nollywood because they had media romance. Meanwhile, we [Yoruba filmmakers] were acting before the word ‘Nollywood’ even existed,” he said.
He emphasized that though Edochie is older in age—born March 7, 1947—he himself began acting professionally earlier. “I’m senior to Pete Edochie in acting. I’ve been on stage and screen for 48 years. This isn’t about age, it’s about when the work started,” he declared confidently.
Solade also credited Ade Ajiboye, popularly known as ‘Big Abass,’ as the first Nigerian to produce a home video, asserting that the roots of Nollywood stretch back to Yoruba theatre traditions that were neither promoted nor archived like their English-speaking counterparts.
The actor’s remarks have sparked heated debate across online platforms, with fans divided over his assertions. Some praised him for spotlighting overlooked Yoruba cinema pioneers, while others viewed his statements as needlessly divisive.
Media scholars note that Solade’s timeline is significant. Pete Edochie gained fame for his role in NTA’s Things Fall Apart in the 1980s, while Solade had been active in stage and television dramas since the late ’70s—long before Nollywood was coined in the early 1990s.
As conversations around legacy, documentation, and credit rage on, Solade’s comments may trigger deeper recognition for the contributions of Yoruba filmmakers to Nigeria’s cinematic evolution. His video has already garnered over 500,000 views on Instagram in less than 24 hours.
