Lere Paimo hits back at Pete Edochie, claiming he started acting in 1958

Veteran Yoruba actor, Lere Paimo, has countered veteran actor Pete Edochie’s claims on when his acting career began, saying he started acting four years before the Nigerian movie star.

Paimo, 86, said he began acting in 1958, while Edochie recently said his acting career began in 1962, when he was 15.

The issue of seniority among Nigeria’s veteran actors has resurfaced after Edochie challenged actors who claimed to have started their careers before him to come forward and provide evidence of their claims.

Paimo responded during an interview with actor Kunle Afod, posted on YouTube on Monday, insisting that he was already active in the acting profession before Edochie began his career.

“I started acting in 1958. I met Hubert Ogunde, who was older than me and others, and big films were being produced at the time,” Paimo said.

Paimo refers to the history of Yoruba theatre

Paimo also drew attention to the history of Yoruba traveling theatre, particularly the contribution of the late theater legend Hubert Ogunde, while discussing the origins of indigenous Nigerian theatre.

He argued that Yoruba theater had been established long before the emergence of English-language film productions in Nigeria.

“I have heard from history that when he (Hubert Ogunde) started in the 1940s, there was no one before him, and we have never heard from history that the English industry, or any film made in the English language, started before him,” he said.

According to Paimo, the absence of documents proving that English-language film production preceded Ogunde’s work has strengthened his belief that the Yoruba theater and film tradition came first.

“Since we have not heard or read this in any history book or documentation, I believe the Yoruba industry started first,” he said.

Paimo said there was no English language film production at the time Ogunde began his work, adding that the theater legend used Yoruba language productions to educate and entertain audiences.

“There was nothing like English language film production then; Ogunde started by producing Yoruba language films, which he used to educate all those who watched those films at that time,” he said.

He added that English-language productions became more important later as society developed and what he described as civility brought a wider awareness of English-language films.

Paimo talks about Ogunde’s seniority

The veteran actor also asked if other theater professionals, including Baba Olumegbon, might have started acting before Ogunde.

Paimo said he could not independently confirm whether Olumegbon began his career before Ogunde, noting that his knowledge of history placed Ogunde among the first actors he knew.

“I don’t know if Baba Olumegbon started before Ogunde, but all I know is that Ogunde was the person I knew who started acting first,” Paimo said.

He added that although he had heard of Olumegbon for a long time, he could not establish that he was older than Ogunde.

Paimo’s acting journey dates back to the Yoruba traveling theater tradition. He worked with the Oyin Adejobi Theater Group, founded by veteran theater professional Oyin Adejobi.

He later joined the Duro Ladipo theater group, where he played the role of Chief Basa in the theater production Obamoro.

The actor subsequently became one of the leading figures of Yoruba theater and cinema, gaining wider recognition for his portrayal of Soun Ogunola in the epic production Ogbori Elemosho.

Edochie’s 1962 acting statement

Paimo’s comments came after Edochie recently referenced his performance in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in 1962 as evidence of how old his acting career is.

Edochie had challenged other veteran actors who claimed to have started their careers before him to come forward and prove their claims.

The development subsequently revived discussions about the history of acting in Nigeria and the seniority of some of the country’s most accomplished theater and screen professionals.

Paimo’s account, however, places his entry into acting in 1958, four years before the date cited by Edochie.

His argument goes beyond his personal career, as he highlighted the long tradition of Yoruba traveling theater and Ogunde’s pioneering role in the development of indigenous theatre.

The debate has consequently brought renewed attention to the diverse traditions that have shaped the Nigerian entertainment industry, particularly the development of Yoruba theater alongside English-language productions.

Paimo remains one of the veteran figures associated with the evolution of Yoruba theater and cinema, having spent decades in the profession and worked with some of the most influential names in Nigeria’s theatrical history.