“I Started Nollywood Before Pete Edochie" – Bob Emmanuel Sparks Controversy

 

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Actor Bob Emmanuel has stirred controversy in the Nigerian entertainment industry by claiming that he began his Nollywood career before veteran actor Pete Edochie, challenging the widely held belief that Edochie is the oldest and one of the earliest figures in the industry.

In an interview with Gbam on Monday, Bob Emmanuel, speaking in Igbo, asserted that while Pete Edochie may be older in age, Emmanuel started acting in Nollywood before Edochie became prominent. According to him, age alone does not define seniority or pioneering status in the film industry.

“Pete Edochie is not the oldest in Nollywood. I started before him. He may be older than me, but he wasn’t part of the first Living in Bondage that kickstarted the industry. You can’t just claim you are the oldest,” Bob Emmanuel stated emphatically.

He further questioned the legacy of actors who claim to be the oldest or most influential in Nollywood.

 “Those claiming to be the oldest where are your works? Who remembers them? Even now, some are planning to remake Things Fall Apart into a movie. Pete’s work was a TV series. Neither the actors nor the financiers studied theatre arts at university. When I see these things, I just laugh,” Emmanuel added.

The actor’s remarks highlight an ongoing debate within Nollywood regarding who truly laid the foundation for the industry.

 While Pete Edochie is widely celebrated as a pioneer, gaining fame through the 1980s television adaptation of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Bob Emmanuel’s statement brings attention to other early contributors whose work may have gone unrecognized.

This conversation underscores the complexity of Nollywood’s history, which includes both film and television contributions. Living in Bondage, often regarded as the film that officially launched Nollywood, is central to Emmanuel’s claim.

 He asserts that his early involvement in the industry predates the fame that came to Edochie through TV series adaptations and other projects.

Industry watchers note that Nollywood’s beginnings were not limited to high-profile actors or blockbuster films; many performers and creators contributed to the industry’s growth quietly, often without the recognition that later stars received. 

Emmanuel’s remarks serve as a reminder that the narrative of Nollywood’s history is broader than commonly perceived.

While debates about seniority continue, Pete Edochie remains a revered figure, credited with inspiring generations of actors and helping bring Nigerian stories to both local and international audiences. However, Bob Emmanuel’s assertion is likely to provoke renewed discussions about Nollywood’s pioneers and the true origins of the industry.

As the conversation unfolds, fans and industry stakeholders are left to consider the multiple paths through which Nollywood evolved, acknowledging both celebrated figures like Edochie and the lesser-known contributors whose early efforts helped shape Nigeria’s film landscape.

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