Some Early Yoruba soap opera in Nigeria

Some Early Yoruba soap opera in Nigeria.

If you grew up in the 80s, there’s a good chance that you spent at least some of your time watching a Yoruba soap opera. These melodramatic television programmes were all the rage back then, and it’s easy to see why. They brought families, friends, and neighbors together to share in their collective obsession.

Some people watch these soaps because it had a massive cast of characters that viewers could get attached to. It also boasted some powerful storylines, which ranged from affairs and divorces to love, marriage, morals, family orientated, horror and comedy. And let’s not forget the ever-evolving love triangles!

If you’re looking to remember Yoruba soap opera that dominated the airwaves in the 80s and 90s, here is the list

Koto Orun: TV series was a must-see for anyone in the South-West in the 1990s. It was a great way to spend a Sunday night. The series focused on the conflict between good and evil powers in a precolonial hamlet. Koto Orun is one of the best TV programs Nigeria has ever created, with intriguing characters and compelling plots. It was produced by Yekini Ajileye (late).

Erin keke: which was usually shown every Sunday evening on NTA Channel 7, no doubt, beat lots of other comedy works of the early 1990s. it was created by Babatunde Omidina (Late) popularly known as Baba Suwe who also doubled as the lead character. It is among some of his works that made him popular, however, there are some other major movies that brought him into the limelight.

Agbara Nla: produced by Mount Zion Film Ministries single handedly took Christian TV content and movies to the mainstream. In 1992, it made its mark with the spellbinding Yoruba TV series Agbara Nla. The runaway success of the spiritually-themed TV show made it produce the English version which was also another hit. Names of characters such as Ayamatanga have gone on to be part of Nigerian pop lingo.