Veteran actor Kola Olaiya has described fellow actor Pete Edochie as a “proud human being,” accusing him of failing to acknowledge the contributions of earlier theatre practitioners in Nigeria.

Olaiya made the remarks during a recent episode of Oyinmomo TV, uploaded on Friday, amid renewed debate over who qualifies as a pioneer in Nigerian acting following comments by Edochie and Yoruba theatre veteran Lere Paimo.

During the interview, Olaiya argued that the history of Nigerian acting extends beyond actors who gained prominence in the English-language film industry, insisting that several theatre practitioners established themselves decades before Edochie began his acting career.

“Pete Edochie is a proud human being. I have known him for long. Pride is in his blood. That is why he cannot respect elders,” Olaiya said.

The actor cited late theatre pioneer Hubert Ogunde, whose professional theatrical career began in 1944 after he resigned from the police, arguing that Ogunde's contributions predated Edochie's emergence in the industry.

“Before they gave birth to Pete Edochie, Ogunde had been acting. That is why he cannot admit that some people started before him. Ogunde started theatre in 1944, when he resigned as a police officer,” he said.

Olaiya also mentioned other prominent figures in the development of Nigerian theatre, including Oyin Adejobi, Duro Ladipo and Kola Ogunmola, questioning Edochie's place in the industry's history if seniority is determined by when actors began their careers.

“Ogunde produced a lot of movies and made records before Edochie was born. After that, people like our fathers, including Oyin Adejobi, Duro Ladipo and Kola Ogunmola, joined the industry. Where was Pete then?” he asked.

He further argued that Edochie's prominence in his region should not automatically translate into a claim of seniority over actors from other parts of Nigeria.

“I do not know if he is the first in his region and has no superior; that is fine. But in the whole of Nigeria? No,” Olaiya added.

The comments come amid a broader debate over the distinction between the history of Nigerian theatre, early stage performances and the emergence of Nollywood as a modern film industry.

The debate gained renewed attention after Edochie, during an appearance on the Curiosity Made Me Ask podcast hosted by comedian Isbae U, said he began acting in 1962 at the age of 15.

Edochie cited his performance in William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as part of his early acting experience. His remarks prompted discussions about how the beginning of an acting career should be defined, particularly when comparing stage performances with careers in film.

In September, Paimo, during an interview with filmmaker Kunle Afod, said he began acting in 1958 and had met Ogunde, whom he described as senior to him and other performers.

“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.

His remarks reinforced the argument that the history of Nigerian acting cannot be determined solely by the emergence of Nollywood, which gained prominence in the early 1990s.

Edochie, however, has maintained that his acting career began with stage performances in 1962, before the emergence of the modern Nigerian film industry. He also cited his portrayal of Okonkwo in the 1985 television adaptation of Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart as a significant milestone in his career.

The disagreement has renewed attention to the contributions of earlier Nigerian theatre practitioners, particularly those involved in Yoruba travelling theatre, who established performance traditions long before Nollywood became widely recognised.

Ogunde, widely regarded as a pioneer of modern Yoruba theatre, began his professional theatrical work in the 1940s.