Veteran actor Yemi Solade has stirred online reactions after boldly claiming he is senior to Pete Edochie in the Nigerian movie industry — despite being younger in age.

In a viral video shared on social media, Solade opened up about his journey in acting, saying he started his career as far back as 1977 when he was just 17 years old.

“I’m a senior to Pete Edochie, though he is older than me,” Solade said.
“I started acting in 1977 as Nigeria’s youngest actor. I’ve done 48 years in acting and I’m still standing.”

Solade also took aim at the popular narrative that Nollywood began with the Eastern (Igbo) section of the industry. He insisted that the Yoruba film industry had been active even before the emergence of the term "Nollywood", though it lacked formal media documentation at the time.

He credited Ade Ajiboye a.k.a. ‘Big Abass’ as the first Nigerian to produce a home video, not those often credited with launching Nollywood in the early 1990s.

“They claimed to have started Nollywood because they romanced the media, but the Yoruba sector was acting long before them,” Solade stated.

His remarks have triggered conversations online, with some praising his honesty and others accusing him of trying to rewrite history.

Regardless of where one stands, Solade’s bold take shines a light on the deep and diverse roots of Nigerian cinema, reminding fans that the story of Nollywood is more layered than many assume.