The Netng has released their 2013 list of
the Most Influential People in Entertainment
in Nigeria and awww, look at me there.
#dancingantenna. Hehe. See the full list
after the cut...
They are artistes, actors, thinkers,
entrepreneurs, and captains of industry.
Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent
and sometimes even controversies; their
works shape lives, habits and societies;
their actions have led to some of the
decisions that have stirred the industry
in its current direction. These
remarkable men and women, with lasting
and laudable influence, do not
necessarily make the most popular
people in the industry, but their
actions carry a lot of weight; with the
hope of the future resting on their
shoulders.

2face Idibia : From his artistry to passion
for change, the Pop king of Africa has
continued to use his music as a muse to
influence all. Through his foundation,
‘2face Idibia Reach-Out Foundation ’, Idibia,
an icon by every definition, has dedicated a
great amount of time, effort and resources
towards reaching out to fellow humans in
need.

Alex Okosi: As Senior Vice President and
Managing Director of Viacom
International, Africa , Okosi continues
to showcase Africa to the world and vice
versa with the MTV, BET, Nickelodeon
and Comedy Central platforms. Okosi is one
of the top dogs determining the present and
future of entertainment on TV.

Ali Baba : Still at the top of the food
chain when it concerns comedy in Nigeria,
Ali Baba, a pioneer stand-up comedian is
not only responsible for making the trade
profitable, he continues to use his influence
to hold up the platform for others to
shine.

Amaka Igwe : A strong pillar in
Nollywood, Igwe’s undying love for motion
picture has helped her carve a niche for
herself whether with her famous soap operas
or her annual BOBTV TV expo . Her
Lagos-based radio station, Top Radio has
also become a force to reckon with.

Amin Moussalli: The Lebanese boss
actually started doing business in Nigeria as
far back as 1975 with his AIM architectural
company but his love for broadcasting drove
him to create radio stations Cool FM, Wazobia
FM and later on Nigeria Info with his
daughter Evita in the helm of affairs. These
stations have become one of the biggest
outfits in Nigeria reaching millions in four
different cities.

Audu Maikori : It’s been rocky times at
Chocolate City in the last seven months
but Maikori, a lawyer and entrepreneur has
shown nothing but exemplary skills in
stirring the entertainment label through
murky waters. With A-list acts like M.I.
and Ice Prince, Chocolate City still
remains one of the biggest music labels in
Africa. Don’t be surprised if they announce
an IPO soon.

Ayo Animashaun: Through his Smooth
Promotions company, Animashaun, 43, has
launched some of the most relevant
entertainment platforms including ‘ The
Headies ’ and the 24-hour channel ‘Hip
TV’ which launches on DSTV this month.

Bolanle Austen Peters: Peters is the
soul of Terra Kulture - a highly
recognised cultural hub set up to promote
the richness and diversity of Nigerian
languages, arts and culture. Respected for
enabling the sustenance of live theatre in
Lagos, she’s now executing the big-budget
SARO musical that’s already receiving critical
acclaim. In eight years of existence, Terra
Kulture has organised no less than 60 plays,
over 100 exhibitions, and approximately 10,000
children have been through their language,
culture clubs and excursions.
Biola Alabi : Managing Director a t M-
NET Africa over the last four years, Alabi
has engineered the process of bringing top
African content to our doorsteps. This year,
she birthed the successful and well rated
African Magic Viewer’s Choice
Awards (AMVCAs) .

Chika Nwobi: Nwobi is a serial
entrepreneur. From MTech - a leading
mobile content company in Africa to
-West Africa’s most popular
jobs portal to -Nigeria’s leading
cars/autos website to Kamdora.com a fast
growing e-commerce fashion retail business in
Nigeria, Nwobi has successfully built mobile
and internet-related companies; using unusual
techniques to link IT with entertainment
while delivering value for consumers and
helping Telcos excite a generation in love
with music.

Chris Ubosi: He is the CEO of
Megalectrics Limited , owners of
Premium choice BEAT 99.9FM , retro-styled
Classic FM 93.7 and pidgin-speaking
Naija FM 102.7 , which have all continued
to dominate their respective fields. Ubosi,
who seems to be warming up to the cameras
nowadays has also launched a sister station
in Ibadan and will be setting up a TV
channel real soon .

Clarence Peters : Three of out every
five videos seen on Nigerian TV is directed by
Clarence Peters. As the CEO of a
record label called Capital Hill Records
and a multimedia content creation company
called CAPital Dream Pictures, he has
shot a good number of videos, documentaries,
TV commercials, short films and TV features.
Clarence is no doubt the most sought after
video director in the music industry so much
that his name has become synonymous with
top quality musical videos.

D’banj: In the last 12 months, the self-
styled entertainer has brushed off any kind
of doubt about whether he can progress
career-wise after his split with former
Mo’Hits partner Don Jazzy . Whether it’s
performing at the finale of African Cup of
Nations , collaborating with US artistes,
headlining Hennessy Artistry or becoming the
face of the Bank of Industry, D’banj has
shown constant sheer determination and
dominance. And there’s an indefinitely long
list of young cats praying day and night to
have a quarter of his blessings.
D’banj, Femi Kuti, Biola Alabi and Tunde Kelani

DJ Jimmy JATT: He is rated as one of
the biggest and most iconic deejays in
Africa. An innovator, teacher, speaker and
performer, Jimmy Jatt has helped nurture
the careers and influenced many deejays in
Nigeria. There’s hardly any hiphop artiste in
Nigeria that doesn’t pledge allegiance to the
legendary but unbelievably humble deejay.

Don Jazzy : From music production, Don
Jazzy remains one of the most relevant
entertainment personalities in Africa (a
formula his colleagues have not been able to
crack yet) with every artiste out there
asking for a beat or two from him. Little
wonder he keeps bagging multimillion Naira
endorsement deals. An ambassador for Loya
Milk and MTN, IDJA is the producer every
producer wants to be like, the pop star who
has no single to his name; the enigmatic
music maker that’s giving an entirely new
definition to impresario.

Edi Lawani: Sometimes referred to as the
Godfather, Lawani has built a name in the
corporate and entertainment scene working as
technical consultant, events manager and
adviser to organisations and talent. His
agency, Showbiz Network is one of the
longest running homegrown entertainment
organisations, and many of today’s big names
in technical support and events management
have the bearded gentleman to thank.

Efe Omorogbe : The co-founder and HNIC
of Nigeria’s leading talent management
company, Now Muzik, Omorogbe continues
to be a major force in the development of
entertainment in Nigeria. He recently setup
Now Muzik en.Core, a sister company which
handles events and campaigns.

Emeka Mba: A former Regulatory Affairs
Manager at Multichoice Nigeria and later
Director General of the Nigerian Film and
Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Mba’s recent
appointment as Director-General of the
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) was
met with applause from stakeholders who
understand what he brings to the table. The
NBC is the regulatory body for broadcast
organisations in Nigeria.

Femi Ayeni: Ayeni, founder of Ultima,
the company which owns two very big
franchises in Nigeria might not have a
popular name but his shows Project Fame
West Africa and Who Wants to be a
Millionaire. Though quiet and publicity
shy, Ayeni has handed many successful
entertainers their careers – that list will
include Iyanya, Chidinma and Frank
Edoho who rose to national fame on
WWTBAM .

Femi Kuti: The son of the late great
Afrobeat legend has clearly carved a niche
for himself, warming up nicely into
contemporary music (working with Wizkid ,
LNC, Jesse Jagz, Durella) and modern
TV (Kuti is a judge on Nigerian Idol ).
These have however not shut him up from
voicing out his opinion against bad
governance.

Funke Akindele : The Nollywood actress
has bagged the highest number of
endorsement deals and produced more
bestselling movies than anyone in her
category. Her hilarious character, Jenifa has
now become one of the most popular
characters in Nollywood. And despite going
through a well-publicized separation,
Akindele’s image remains intact, her following
unaffected; her endorsements intact.

Genevieve Nnaji: Hardly can you
mention top actresses in Africa without
placing her in the top 2. US talk show
host, Oprah Winfrey described her as
the Julia Roberts of Africa, while Elle
magazine recently profiled her as one of
the 7 international acts soon to cross over
to international success . Nnaji’s profiling on
the international scene has been a big boost
to her career, although she has slowed down
on local appearances in recent times.

Ibinabo Fiberesima: She became the
first woman to lead the Actors’ Guild of
Nigeria when she was sworn in as
President in November 2012. Ibinabo
Fiberesima, an actress and a former beauty
queen now presides over one of the most
influential organisations in Nigeria’s
entertainment industry.

Jason Njoku : By creating the iROKO triad-
iROKOtv, iROKING and IROKtv , he
is credited for creating what the
international media has described as the
‘Netflix of Africa,‘ Njoku has combined
technology and creativity to satisfy the
ever-growing needs of Nollywood fans across
the world, ranking in the Forbes ‘African
millionaires to watch’ list. His idea now
caters for millions of Nigerians who chose to
go online to source music and Nollywood
movies.

King Sunny Ade : A perfect example of
consistency, King Sunny Ade boasts of a
career that has spanned over five decades.
KSA is an important voice in the Nigerian
entertainment industry particularly in regards
to music as he uses his influence, contacts
and resources to affect major decisions in
many of the music organisations; while
serving as mentor and inspiration to many.

Kunle Afolayan: He is one of the most
prolific film directors in Nigeria. From his
debut production ‘ Irapad a ‘ to the
critically reviewed action-drama ‘ Figurine‘,
the accounting graduate has shown finesse in
all his work. His recent project, October 1,
still in the making has generated the most
publicity-ever for a yet to be released
flick. Afolayan is seen by many pundits as
the face of ‘new Nollywood’.

KWAM 1 : A prolific recording artist,
KWAM1 updated the Fuji style
incorporating Western instruments to give it
that youth-oriented theme. That singular
innovation opened up the genre to a
hitherto uninterested segment. With a career
now spanning over three decades, the self-
acclaimed King of Fuji music continues to
influence and appeal both the old and
young in fuji other genres.

Linda Ikeji : From gossip to breaking news
stories, Linda Ikeji’s blog has become a
hotspot for many online readers. From a
business and career that has taken her seven
years to build, Miss Ikeji’s blog has become a
phenomenal success earning her millions in
annual turnover; building a profile as
Nigeria’s most successful blogger. What that
means? The bachelorette now belongs to the
elite group of opinion moulders and news
shapers.

M.I : They call him the Chairman. Jude
Abaga aka M.I . has set a standard for
aspiring rappers, for being able to appeal
both to the so called hiphop heads and
those with no idea in the world what the
art form is about. He is sometimes regarded
as the best rapper in Nigeria and has a lot
in fan base to show for it.

Mo’ Abudu : Following the huge success of
her talk show ‘Moments with Mo‘,
Mosunmola Abudu has built for
herself a strong repertoire. Often referred
to as the Oprah Winfrey of Africa, her show
for years enjoyed high ratings on DSTV .
Recently she launched her own channel,
EbonyLife TV, Africa’s first global black
entertainment network.

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde : As one of
the most decorated actresses in Africa,
Omotola’s scored a bygone when she made it
to TIME magazine’s 2013 edition of the ‘100
Most Influential People in the World’ . Her TV
reality series, ‘ Omotola: The Real Me’
generated a landmark viewership on M-NET’s
Africa Magic when it debuted, and the
mother-of-four is now warming up for
international break.

Psquare: Sold out shows and tours in
Africa, Europe and America, earth
shaking hit songs and videos. A multitude of
fans stadiums cannot contain. Psquare have
been on the top 3 mark for so long it’s
beginning to look like their birth right.

Peace Fiberesima: For 12 years she has
been behind the African Movie Awards (AMAA) ,
gathering movie stars from all over Africa.
Fiberesima has positioned the awards show as
one of the most credible and consistent
honorary shows. Often described as the
‘African Oscars‘, AMAA awards has now become
a standard for actors to measure their
performance every year.

Rotimi Pedro : With Nigerian Idol , X-
Factor and Nigeria’s Got Talent
grabbing big market shares, Rotimi Pedro,
the Optima Media Group‘s founder, is
rapidly becoming a major force to reckon
with. The sports veteran and his team are
delivering entertainment to millions of
Nigerians while giving many an opportunity
to kick off their careers. And he’s just
secured the right to launch Bloomberg here,
according to NET findings.

Sam Onyemelukwe: He earned the
rights to bring the foremost music
channel, TRACE TV to Nigeria building it from
the scratch. Onyemelukwe, a former country
manager for MTV has utilized his experience
and knowledge in the terrain to establish
TRACE TV as a channel of choice for many
young Nigerians.

Tajuddeen Adepetu : From what began
with creating content programming for
several terrestrial TV stations, Adepetu has
gone on to establish his own cable TV
channel and TV station. Both Soundcity
and ONTV , popular among young Nigerians,
have now become household names when it
comes to pure entertainment. Other assets
include Spice TV which wil launch as a full
channel on DSTV in a matter of months, and
social media platform Buddie.

The Murray-Bruces : The Murray-Bruces
have played many major roles in taking
Nigerian entertainment to the next level.
Spearheaded by Ben Murray-Bruce, the family
has not only succeeded in radio and TV
broadcasting, but also made cinema culture
fashionable again, with the Silverbird Cinemas.
Their ‘Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria‘ pageant
has lost credibility and popularity, but
remains the nation’s leading pageant.

Tony Okoroji: Okoroji is one of the most
important factors in collective rights
management and administration in Nigeria.
Working with the Copyright Society of
Nigeria (COSON), Okoroji has spearheaded the
recognition of mechanical and associated
rights, while making sure radio stations, TV
channels and others who exploit music pay
what’s due rights owners. The jury is still
out on whether that segment should be
liberalized.

Tunde Kelani: A pioneer and veteran by
every definition, Kelani ’s brilliance in
cinematography and storytelling is second to
none. With over 20 films made under his
Mainframe Productions, Kelani has been setting
standards for as long as we can remember.
The movie producer/director/writer is one of
the major influences in the Nigerian movie
industry till date.

Uche Eze: She is the popular blogger and
owner of fashion and lifestyle blog
BellaNaija. BellaNaija remains a one stop
shop for single and married women who are
interested in wedding news, gossip and
fashion. And even though the likes
of Linda Ikeji have surpassed her in
ranking, Bella remains queen, with enough
international acclaim to last a lifetime.

Wizkid : At just 23, Ayo ‘Wizkid’
Balogun is a kid whose achievements will
make some legends jealous. From an unsure
wannabe, the hit-maker has grown to become
a superstar, with a strong influence on
today’s sound while many teens are feeding
daily on his style and- permit us – swagger.
Now warming up to be an entrepreneur, Wizzy
has it all working.

http://lindaikeji..com/2013/10/the-netngs-most-influential-people-in.html?showComment=1381316910231&m=1

What happened to D1 and Keke?