#ThePowerList: Top 10 powerful young people in Nigeria’s new media space!

Written by YNaija writer, ‘Ifreke Inyang.

Introducing The Power List:

We present the most influential young Nigerians under 35 in Business, Fashion, Media, Entertainment, Technology and Politics! We’re not talking influence or popularity; we’re talking to power to make things happen beyond their immediate space.

Let’s not even argue this – New Media is where the future is at. And in Nigeria, its stranglehold on our social, political, religious and life and the way it constantly drives the conversation is instructive, if not overwhelming. So, who are those we call conveniently call the powerhouses of New Media? We have a list!

Linda Ikeji:

 If you’re looking for the hottest gossip – which guy stabbed a lover to death, which former actress has turned a firebrand evangelist, etc, Linda Ikeji’s blog is where to check. But that’s just half of the story for the lady who worked into the American embassy and got a visa ‘cause they checked out ‘the most influential blog in Nigeria’ and she popped. From #ABSURape to Mercy Johnson, Linda owns the day. You can’t ignore Nigeria’s number one blogger.

Nigeria's No.1 blogger, I love the sound of that. lol. Read the rest after the jump...

Uche Eze:

With elevated language, great pictures and a fantastic site layout, Uche Eze, the woman behind BellaNaija, has set the bar high. She started BN as a blogspot in the late 2000′s but in recent years made it not just a proper fashion site but a profitable business – and she continues to set a standard.

Ogunlesi:

 On Twitter, Tolu Ogunlesi, CNN African Journalist of the Year for 2006, is revered – with about 15, 000 followers with whom he shares thoughts on everything from the House of Representatives hearing on fuel subsidy removal to the latest naked pictures on Twitter. With enough followers who take every word he says seriously, Tolu is on to something.

Japheth Omojuwa:

This is the man who made life intolerable for Reno Omokri, Special Assistant to the President on New Media, and the man who crystallizing much of the opposition to the president’s agenda amongst young people. With the lethal mix of a 20, 000 + strong Twitter account and a popular Omojuwa.com blog, added to his sometimes cringe-worthy candour, Omojuwa is king of the click.

Noble Igwe:

 A lot of folks were shocked when Noble Igwe, a few years ago, decided to leave his day job at 141 Advertising to start-up 360nobs.com. The website has achieved impressive name recognition for its pop culture serving and with all the supporting events brands and Igwe’s “quotable tweets” have made him one of the men to control what you read on the internet.

Cheta Nwanze: 

This is the guy who made 234Next.com into the force it eventually became. Along with a string of other media websites to his credit, Nwanze’s day job as the chief techie at Daily Times has clearly made it clear he has magic at his fingertips. Armed with several on-the-go gadgets and some of the brightest bloggers this technology expert is pushing the media outfit back to its former glory.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde:

This Nollywood diva is the president of ‘Osexynation’. The ‘Osexynation’ clarion call has led more than once to cluttered timelines – but has proven very useful when she has a new movie to promote or a new rumour to debunk. With the distinction of being cumulatively the celebrity with the most friends on Facebook and about 50, 000 + on Twitter, Omotola has power in her hands.

Don Jazzy:

We’re not sure he still has that magic anymore, but there are those who will argue that, at least on Twitter, it’s the Mohits CEO’s world and we are all just living in it. It’s not just his handle though, but his capacity to drive the day’s news cycle online, at least in entertainment circles. His mis-statement over rappers and their parents was one such instance, and it’ll take a few more gaffes (thought he is quickly piling them up) before this man will lose relevance online.

Wale Adetula:

‘Tula, as his friends call him, has come a long way from the times when his SistaSista idea didn’t quite get off the ground. With his Take 2 with TheNakedConvos, this young man has clearly cornered a huge section of the sex-and-relationships market online – with the blog, and events of the same name and his popular new The Writer competition. What’s that thing they say about being original?

Ediong Umoh:

You may not know him if you’re on Twitter, but you know his brand, NigeriaNewsDesk, which has been identified severally as Nigeria’s most influential Twitter handle – with enough Retweets and Mentions to last two lifetimes. An aggregator of news from sources across the world, and now interlinked with such websites as Ascology.com, Ediong is officially in charge of the news.