August 29, 2026
Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru has sparked debate with his views on the changing ethnic influence within Nigeria’s film industry, arguing that the Yoruba community has become more dominant because of its ability to organise and promote its own.
In a recent interview on Gbam, aired on the Yan Content Factory YouTube channel on Friday, Duru acknowledged the contributions of Yoruba pioneers such as Herbert Ogunde to Nigerian theatre and performance arts in the 1950s.
However, he argued that the modern Nollywood home-video industry was largely driven by Igbo entrepreneurs during the 1990s and early 2000s.
According to the actor, Igbo traders played a major role in developing the home-video market that eventually evolved into the Nollywood industry known globally today.
