Japheth Omojuwa and Linda Ikeji: Why They Are The Two Most Influential Young Nigerians

I want to admit from the outset that this post is a rather subjective one but I strongly believe it contains truth and facts. I have decided to write about two persons whom I deem as the two most influential young Nigerians; why they have become persons of influence and lessons to learn from their stories. So, in this post, I will be talking about Japheth Omojuwa and Linda Ikeji.

Japheth Omojuwa, the last time I checked had 87,627, followers on his twitter handle, @omojuwa. He is followed on twitter by major Nigerian Newspapers, notable Nigerians and even my club, Arsenal Football Club of England! He is the founder of omojuwa.com, a popular site with Nigerians, where you can get information on a wide range of issues. Omojuwa who was in the forefront of the #OccupyNigeria struggle gets hundreds of followers every week. According to him, one of his write-ups had over two million hits in two days (I would celebrate wildly if I had that in six months or even one year!). What is the secret of this young man, a socio-economic and political commentator, consultant and social media expert, who also calls himself a cyberpreneur? Why does he wield so much influence among Nigerians?

I believe Nigerians, especially the young ones, see Omojuwa as a beacon of hope and change. This is why most of them are eager to hear his views on certain events in the country. He has become the symbol of the change Nigeria desperately needs. He also provides platforms for Nigerians to express their views on happenings in the country. He is seen as the voice/mouthpiece of the ruled and the conscience of the rulers. Young Nigerians see him as the leader they had been yearning to have; a leader who is altruistic, blunt, witty, brilliant, strong and who is passionate about justice and good governance. He possesses the ability to transmit his passion to others and he is seen by Nigerians as the galvaniser with the capability to inspire them to action. This is why they are loyal and ready to do whatever he asks them to do. And these are my reasons for picking Japheth Omojuwa as the most influential young Nigerian.

Linda Ikeji is arguably Nigeria’s number one entertainment blogger. She gets up to 50,000 visits from up to 180 countries every day, making her site one of the most visited sites in Nigeria. The Queen of Entertainment Blogging used to be a model before eventually venturing into the world of blogging, a decision that has brought her fame and wealth. Through her blog, www.lindaikeji.blogspot.com, Linda provides news, entertainment, celebrity gist, gossip, photos, etc. In 2012, she was mentioned as one of Africa’s 20 Most Prominent Women by Forbes Africa. I read somewhere that she walked into the American embassy and got a visa because they checked out her blog. The truth is that Linda Ikeji is an individual who cannot be ignored in Nigeria today and this is why, in my opinion, she is the second most influential young person in Nigeria?

Why has Linda become so influential? It is because of her ability to attract huge numbers of readers to her blog. She has discovered what people want to read and she continually gives it to them. There is no doubt that whatever she posts will find its way into millions of hearts and minds. This has really put her in a position to influence what a lot of Nigerians read daily. Through her posts, she continuously shapes the worldview of a lot of people. The angle through which she presents her story determines the way people will react to such a story. If she is critical about a particular story, readers will go away with that view and if she decides to be mild or pleasant to the actors in her story, that is almost definitely the way readers will perceive such people. (I think it is safe to add that many Nigerian celebrities will be careful to always stay in her good books.)

Some of the lessons I have been able to take away from the story of these two amazing Nigerians are:

1. Find a need and fill it. This is one timeless principle that has never failed to work. Omojuwa saw the need for someone to drive the process of change in Nigeria; he made himself available and Nigerians instinctively followed. Linda, on her own part, saw the people’s need for quick access to hot ‘gists’ and filled it, and today, she has become the toast of blogging in Nigeria.
2. Both of them identified the most appropriate tool to achieve their goals: technology/social media.
3. Both of them are courageous and have refused to bulge in the face of intimidation, criticism and cynicism.
4.  And also very important is the fact that both of them are passionate about what they do.

What else can I say but to say, “Go Omojuwa, go Linda, we are all learning from you.”

Find Out What These Four Powerful Women Have in Common

This post is strictly about women, and not just ordinary women but women who have impacted the world. They are women whose actions have reverberated and are still reverberating around the globe. These are women from whom we have so much to learn. They are women extraordinaire! They are women who have become inspirations to other women and even men.

Helen Adams Keller was a blind woman who brought hope and happiness to many.  Born on June 27, 1880 in Tuscumbia, Alabama, an illness in 1882 made her to lose her sight, hearing and ability to speak. She learned to read and write through the tireless efforts of her extraordinary teacher, Anne Sullivan, growing up to become an author and activist. She was the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. Outspoken about her convictions, she campaigned for women's suffrage, labour rights, socialism, etc., using her writing proficiency to pass her message across. She was a member of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). She brought encouragement to millions of blind people and was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 1971. By the time of her death in 1968, she had received many awards and her birthday on June 27 is commemorated as Helen Keller Day in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania.

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks lived from 1913 to 2005 but her name can never be forgotten by the blacks in the United States. She is called "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement". Parks came into national consciousness in the United States when on December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, she refused to give up her seat in the coloured section to a white passenger.

Her refusal to give up her seat led to her being arrested and charged to court but this would spark a city-wide boycott. Eventually, the law requiring segregation on public buses in Montgomery was lifted. Her act of defiance and the Montgomery Bus Boycott became important symbols of the modern Civil Rights Movement. Park, who was a contemporary of Martin Luther King Jr., received manyrecognitions, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and a posthumous statue in the United States Capitol's National Statuary Hall. She was the first woman and second non-U.S. government official to lie in honor at the Capitol Rotunda when she died. Her birthday, February 4, and the day she was arrested, December 1, have both become Rosa Parks Day, commemorated in the U.S. states of California and Ohio.

Mary Kathlyn Wagner, known as Mary Kay Ash, was born in 1918; married at age 17; had three children; was divorced in 1945; in 1963 alone, she retired from her job, lost her second husband to heart attack and started her beauty business in 1963 with an initial investment of $5,ooo; the business became a household name after some years and she died in 2001. Ash’s story is that of courage and resilience. She resigned from her job due to sexism; she was passed over for promotion in favour of a man. In 1963 at 45 years, with $5,000 she got from her oldest son, she started Mary Kay Cosmetics. Today, Mary Kay products are used all over the world. She received many awards and distinctions, one of which was the Horatio Alger Distinguished American Citizen Award from Horatio Alger Association. She was named as one of the “100 Most Important Women in America" by Ladies' Home Journal in 1983 and one of “America's 25 Most Influential Women” in 1985.

Television idol, Oprah Winfrey, who was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, on January 29, 1954, weathered a troubled beginning to become one of the most popular persons on earth today. As an adolescent, she was sexually abused by some male relatives and friends of her mother. She became pregnant at fourteen but lost the baby at infancy. At a point in her career, Oprah was removed from her job as a news reporter for Baltimore’s WJZ-TV but today she has her own TV network, the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). She is regarded as the greatest black philanthropist in American history. According to Forbes magazine, Oprah was the richest African American of the 20th century and the world's only Black billionaire for three years running. She has given more than $51,000,000 for charitable programs, including girls' education in South Africa and relief to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She is also a dedicated activist for children's rights; in 1994.

Reading about these women, these are some of the things I find common to them:

1. They all overcame difficult circumstances that stared them in the face.
2. They were/are courageous women.
3. They were/are outspoken about their convictions and would go to great lengths to defend them.
4. They were/are compassionate and kind hearted.
5. They live(d) for worthy causes.
6. Their efforts have been recognised and rewarded by the society.