Globally, media ownership has been dominated by the male folk. Oluwatobi Balogun examines how five Nigerian women have grown their blogs to the reputation of media empires. The combined value of their platforms is estimated at $115.83million.
In terms of influence, these bloggers have combined followership of about 3 million people and have made a remarkable impact on the way Nigerians eat, drink, get entertained, and treat health and fitness issues. Their areas of interest span a wide range of categories and appeal to a large fan base hence the wide acceptance and success recorded for these female bloggers.
Uche Pedro of www.bellanaija.com
Uche is the owner of Nigeria’s foremost entertainment and lifestyle , BellaNaija. Uche started her career in Human Resources after finishing with honors from Ivey Business School, Canada. BellaNaija started in 2006 as a blog and has grown into a full-fledged lifestyle brand curating content on music, film, lifestyle, weddings, TV, beauty, self-improvement and other trending topics.
After ten years as a blogger, Uche Pedro has established herself as one of Nigeria’s leading in the online blogging sphere. Bellanaija.com is ranked the 7,576th most visited site in the Alexa Global Ranking and 102nd in Nigeria. Bellanaija.com has boasts of a social media following of over 2.8 million people on Instagram only. According to worthofweb.com, BellaNaija is currently valued at $28 million.
She is the recipient of Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards – African Blogger of the Year 2016, African Innovator QZ.com 2015, WIE Next Generation Leader, 2014, British Council – The Future Awards – Young Media Entrepreneur of the Year, 2013, TEDAfrica Fellow 2007 and a host of many others. In 2014, she was named in Forbes list of “30 Most Promising Young Entrepreneurs in Africa. Uche is married to Bode Pedro, an astute entrepreneur and they are blessed with a set of twins.
Linda Ikeji of www.lindaikejisblog.com
Linda Ikeji – She owns the leading entertainment news blog in Nigeria and is often referred to as the ‘’queen of blogging’’. Linda Ikeji started her career as a blogger in 2006 singlehandedly curating and editing content for the site until 2015 when she added a few more people to her team.
A graduate of English from the University of Lagos, her blog focuses on news, gossip and scoops from the entertainment industry, celebrity gists, politics and everyday lives of Nigerians. Recently, she launched the Linda Ikeji Media, a media outfit that she says will facilitate music and film production. In her entrepreneurial spirit, she also recently created a social network for her fans and followers, mirroring the most used social media platform in the world, Faceboook.
In barely two months, the platform has recorder over 100,000 registered members. In August 2012, Forbes Africa profiled Linda as one of Africa’s 20 Most Prominent Women. Her social media followership is more than 200,000 thousand and her website lindaikejisblog.com is ranked 2,236th in the Alexa Global Ranking and 25th in Nigeria. Her website is currently worth $85 million according to worthofweb.com
Stella Dimokokorkus of www.stelladimokokorkus.com
Stella Dimokokorkus – Stella is a Nigerian female blogger resident in Germany. She is a journalist and a graduate of the University of Benin. Like lindaikejisblog.com, Stella’s blog spans between indicting entertainment gist, fashion/lifestyle, society and celebrity gossip to news, politics and public opinion/personal interest stories.
Currently, her blog is worth $2 million according to worthofweb.com and she has a following of over 11,000 followers on various social media. Her website stelladimokokorkus.com ranks 25,848th according to Global Alexa rankings and 352nd in Alexa’s ranking of local websites.
In October 2016, she was nominated in the Fashion Support Brand category for the Nigerian Fashion and Style Awards and in November, clinched the Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award for the Best Online Blog of the Year asides many other awards.
Tosin Ajibade of www.OloriSuperGal.com
Tosin Ajibade (OloriSuperGirl) – Tosin is known for her lifestyle and entertainment website, OloriSuperGal.com and her Public Relations job in Nigerian Entertainment industry. OSG, as she’s fondly called created her blog in 2010 which is today, as one of the most reputable and popular blogs in in Nigeria. She holds a bachelor degree in Accounting from the Lagos State University and a Diploma in Media from Pan-Atlantic University.
In 2014, Ajibade was listed among YNaija’s 100 Most Influential Women in Nigeria and Leading Ladies Africa ’16. She is the organizer of the New Media Conference that was held in Nigeria in 2015, and that will also be held in 2016.
The conference focuses on new media capabilities, especially in online/digital possibilities. Tosin, also have other platforms and project; Travel Africa Story, Media Exposure and OSG Vitiligo Campaign.
Global Alexa ranking for her website is 112,162 and 1,630 in Nigeria, and collectively has a social media followership of 201,000 people. According to worthofweb.com, Olorisupergal.com is currently valued at $46,000.
Yemisi Aiyedun of www.sisiyemmie.com
Yemisi Aiyedun – I remember sisiyemmie.com primarily as a food blog. Yemisi would have these tricks and innovative methods of preparing various local and intercontinental dishes and would share pictorials of how to prepare said meals.
Currently, her blog has developed into a full-fledged lifestyle blog targeted at women. She shares motherhood tips, beauty tips, career advice, relationship guides and has maintained her food blogging theme as well over the years. She’s also an experienced Editor for a local magazine and is happily married to Yomi Aiyedun.
Yemisi, veered off to include video blogging (vlogs) into her brand with a Youtube channel where she keeps viewers updated about her life, family, partnerships and just recently, the life of her baby.
Her site is currently valued at $37,000 with over 50,000 followers on social media. According to Alexa Global Ranking, sisiyemmie.com is at the 283,494th worldwide and 4,808th locally.
