Lere Paimo Reacts to Pete Edochie’s Seniority Claim in Nollywood, Opens Up About His Acting Career
- Veteran actor Lere Paimo pushed back on Pete Edochie's bold claim of being the most senior actor in Nollywood
- Paimo revealed he began acting professionally in 1958 and even met Pa Hubert Ogunde, who was already working before him
- Kunle Afod, who shared the video, also raised concerns about the need to properly document Yoruba movie history
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Veteran Yoruba actor Lere Paimo has responded to Pete Edochie's sweeping claim that he has no senior colleague in Nollywood, saying the timeline simply does not add up.
The debate reignited after Edochie, speaking on the "Curiosity Made Me Ask" podcast, emphatically declared that he began acting at age 15, before Nollywood even existed as an industry.
Source: Instagram
The film legend pointed to his role in the acclaimed adaptation of Things Fall Apart as evidence, asserting that no actor in Nollywood is older than him in the profession.
Lere Paimo counters with 1958 start date
In a video shared by actor Kunle Afod on his YouTube channel on Monday, September 14, Paimo offered a direct rebuttal backed by personal history.
"I started acting professionally in 1958, and I wasn't even the first actor then. I met Pa Hubert Ogunde already acting before me," Paimo said.
The claim places Paimo's professional debut several years before Edochie's own stated start. Edochie has previously indicated he began acting around 1962, a detail Afod was quick to highlight.
Afod pointed out that if Paimo was already on stage in 1958 and Ogunde was active even earlier, it was clear that Edochie had predecessors in the Nigerian acting space, regardless of how Nollywood's founding is framed.
Afod calls for better documentation of Yoruba film history
Beyond the seniority dispute, Kunle Afod used the conversation to press a broader point: the urgent need to properly document the history of Yoruba cinema before it is lost or distorted.
He argued that without credible records, false narratives would continue to fill the gaps, leaving younger generations with an incomplete and sometimes inaccurate picture of how Nigerian filmmaking evolved.
Source: Instagram
In related news, Legit.ng reported that Femi Adebayo reacted to a comparison between his father, Oga Bello, and Pete Edochie.
Watch Lere Paimo's response to Pete Edochie's seniority claim on Kunle Afod's YouTube channel below:
Toyin Abraham features Pete Edochie in upcoming film
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that actress Toyin Abraham unveiled veteran actor Pete Edochie as the first cast of her upcoming cinema film, Bestie.
Abraham posted a heartwarming video as she shared the role the veteran who play in the film. The update stirred excitement among her fans as they anticipate the release.
Source: Legit.ng
