Lere Paimo Challenges Pete Edochie’s Acting Seniority, Says He Started Four Years Earlier

Veteran Yoruba actor Lere Paimo has challenged fellow veteran actor Pete Edochie’s claim about how far back his acting career dates, revealing that he began acting in 1958, four years before Edochie’s stated starting point. Paimo, 86, made the claim during an interview with actor Kunle Afod, which was shared on YouTube, while responding to the ongoing conversation about seniority among Nigeria’s veteran actors. The discussion was reignited after Edochie, 79, recently spoke about his acting history and challenged other actors who claimed to have started their careers before him to come forward and substantiate their claims. Edochie had cited his performance in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in 1962 as evidence of his early involvement in acting. He said he was 15 at the time. However, Paimo said his own acting journey had already begun several years earlier. “I started acting in 1958. I met Hubert Ogunde, who was senior to me and others, and there were big movies produced back then,” Paimo said. The veteran actor also broadened the discussion beyond the individual claims of Edochie and himself, pointing to the history of Yoruba travelling theatre and the contribution of late theatre legend Hubert Ogunde. Paimo said Ogunde was the actor he knew to have started acting earliest, while acknowledging that there could have been other theatre practitioners whose careers predated Ogunde. “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,” he said. According to Paimo, the history of Nigerian theatre should take into account indigenous Yoruba productions that existed before English-language movies became prominent. He argued that Ogunde’s work in Yoruba-language theatre played an important role in the development of the country's indigenous entertainment industry. “Since we didn’t hear or read that in any history books or documentation, I believe the Yoruba industry started first,” Paimo said. He added that there was no English-language movie production that he knew of at the time Ogunde began his work, describing the theatre legend's productions as a means of educating and entertaining audiences. Paimo's own career began within the Yoruba travelling-theatre tradition. He worked with the Oyin Adejobi Theatre Group before later joining the Duro Ladipo Theatre Group, where he became known for his performances in Yoruba stage and film productions. His comments have now added another perspective to the conversation surrounding the history and seniority of Nigeria's veteran actors. While Edochie has pointed to his 1962 performance as evidence of his early acting career, Paimo says his own involvement began in 1958. The two claims also highlight the different traditions that contributed to the development of Nigeria's theatre and film industry, particularly the longstanding Yoruba travelling-theatre tradition. The debate has consequently drawn renewed attention to the country's rich theatrical history and the veteran performers whose careers began decades before the emergence of modern Nollywood.