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Coca-Cola has launched the “Ginjaaah Your Flow” dance challenge, a nod to the success of its new song released in collaboration with Mayorkun and Masterkraft.
The company collaborated with renowned dancer, Izzy Odigie, to create the choreography, which is a series of arm movements and hip shakes after enjoying a refreshing sip of an ice-cold Coke. Speaking about her composition, Izzy noted, “Ginjaaah Your Flow naturally makes you want to burst into a dance regardless of your mood, so get up and join @iammayorkun & I in the #GinjaaahYourFlow dance challenge with Coca-Cola”.
The dance challenge is quickly gaining steam on Instagram and Triller will have hundreds of entries uploaded. For a chance to enter to win, watch the dance routine here and post your own entry with the hashtag #GinjaaahYourFlow. The contest is open through September.
Six Coke lovers stand to win cash prizes of N500k, N300k and N150k on Instagram and Triller. To qualify; participants will recreate the ‘Ginjaaah Your Flow’ dance routine to the Coca-Cola track, with a bottle of Coca-Cola in view. In their caption, participants will tag @cocacola_NG and share how Coke gives them Ginjaaah.
To learn more about the Ginjaaah Your Flow dance challenge, follow Coca-Cola Nigeria on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. You can also follow the hashtag – #GinjaaahYourFlow
Leading beer brand, Life Continental Beer has further expanded its influence into the eastern market and strengthened engagement with its loyal customers through an inspiring Television Commercial tagged Turu Ugo Lota.
Turu Ugo Lota is an Igbo adage that translates in English to mean Bring Home the Glory. The proverbial saying is a verbal encapsulation of the painstaking aspirations of the Igbos; their illustrious spirit and sheer grit to rise above all odds in achieving progress and success both as individuals and as a collective.
Proudly Nigerian, the fascinating commercial is characterized by A-list acts such as the Father/ Son duo of Pete and Yul Edochie, and also featured iconic locations in the East like the Niger Bridge among others.
Speaking on the brand promise as reiterated in the TVC, the Senior Brand Manager Life Beer, Aishat Anaekwe, said, “Beyond being an adage, Turu Ugo Lota is a passion that weighs upon every young Igbo, to go forth into the world—despite its challenges and limitations—build new relationships, work hard and attain success. This is what the Igbos have been known by for centuries and Life Beer believes that Bringing Home the Glory should be the aspiration of all Nigerians and Africa as a whole.”
“Life Beer is delighted to bring together and collaborate with stakeholders in the east who embody diligence, integrity and most importantly, proudly exude their cultural heritage as Igbos indeed”, she added.
The exciting TVC which was unveiled on Thursday, September 2, at the Base Landmark, Enugu also hosted some of Nigeria’s leading personalities to a social discourse that highlighted the lessons of parental guidance, discipline, diligence and integrity as being the bedrock of progress and success in any given society. Life Continental Beer remains poised to provide the eastern market and Nigeria at large, with quality lager that kindles great taste and inspires fun moments.
The Saturday night party for the Big Brother housemates was a burst of rich colours and heritage as they rocked the OWANBE theme.
The Shine Your Eyes housemates didn’t joke with this week’s theme and went all out showing the stunning handcrafted outfits representing the different cultures in grand style.
As always, the housemates brought their A-game, with the Phantom X capturing their stunning photos for all to see how extraordinary the Saturday party was for the housemates and the fans.
The DJs (DJ Dayzee and DJ Shawn) playing back-to-back hits got the housemates to the roof while bursting dashing moves on the dancefloor.
The BBNaija weekly Saturday party is always one to watch out for. Join your favourite housemates and learn a dance move or two; as always, TECNO will be there to capture those extraordinary moments.
The season 2 of CAMission started weeks back and I can tell you guys for free, the feeling the show has given me is that of constant excitement. The show’s hosts are the handsome Efa Iwara and the delectable Linda Osifo, and they set off the tone beautifully. I mean, who doesn’t like feasting their eyes on beautiful people.
The first episode introduced us to the 20 contestants who made it past the entry phase into the boot camp. We also got to meet with the highly prolific judges; Kemi Adetiba, Kunle Afolayan, Kelechi Amadi Obi and Obi Somto.
The competition went into full boot camp mode with the first task. I personally think it was the best task to start with as it took viewers down memory lane. This task was titled “Heroes Past” and the contestants were to deliver photos of celebrities, who also doubled as their team leads, dressed as Nigerian heroes from the past. Bisola Aiyeola dressed as Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Broda Shaggi as Fela Ransome Kuti, Venita Akpofure as Fumilayo Ransome Kuti and Denola Grey as Herbert Macaulay. The whole affair was all shades of cool!
Each contestant delivered four amazingly creative photos on which the judges deliberated. In typical TECNO’s we-mean-business style, four contestants, Akerele Oluwagbogo, Ejike Davidson, George Ronku and Michael Samuel Olatuja were evicted that night. On the second episode of the show, the contestants were grouped into four teams with Bisola Aiyeola, Broda Shaggi, Venita Akpofure and Denola Grey heading a team each.
The celebrities were charged with the responsibility of herding their teams into victory. And the task, a focus on landscape and micro images.
Like the 1st episode and the surprise eviction, the 2nd episode too comes with a plot twist! After the task, the judges deliberated over the photos and chose two members from each team who had the lowest performance.
Here is where the plot thickens; each team lead, aka, the celebrities, had to decide who out of the 2 gets to stay or leave. The tension almost became visible! The contestants up for eviction had to go back to their teams to give moving speeches on why they shouldn’t be sent home.
It was a tough call, but eventually, four contestants, Otmilz Ikechukwu, Daniel Amao, Fredrick Aziakpono and Chima Charles Somto were evicted from the camp. For the 3rd episode, the teams, which now had 3 members each, were tasked with shooting a short video during a fashion runway show. One member of the team was to shoot the video and pictures, another gave directions to the models and the last member checked the time and shooting effects.
The judges deliberated over the delivered videos and crowned Venita’s team, the winning team. Surprisingly, there was no eviction for the 3rd episode.
You see! The show has been fun, with intense competition back-to-back! And you too can be a part of it all. Tune in to watch all the fun and excitement on Africa Magic Urban on Saturdays at 6:30 PM. Don’t say I haven’t done anything for you this year. You are welcome!
As ‘innovative mobile phone brand of the year in 2019’, Infinix certainly did not let its guards down in ensuring that it maintained its reputation as a customer-centric brand. It is easy to get carried away by awards, titles and whatnot. But even with this award by Marketing Edge ﹘ a leading, credible media platform that keeps up-to-date with developments on brands, marketing and advertising in Nigeria and around the world ﹘ the brand was not content enough to rest on its oars. You could say it was adrenaline pumped in its bloodstream.
Infinix awarded Innovative Mobile Phone Brand of the Year
With the brand’s essence being ‘The Future is Now’, the brand is fast becoming a choice brand among consumers – especially the youth – as most of its activities involve empowering consumers to live their future today.
The brand’s notable achievements in the past year are a testament that they didn’t offer their consumers a basket of empty promises. Having an edge with their product offerings of smart devices that enable consumers to live intelligent lifestyles with stylish designs that stand them out from the crowd is their focus always. Infinix is always looking to set new trends and bring innovations to help their consumers live a smart life.
From left to right: Kevin Olumese, Marketing Communications Manager; Opeyemi Adewunmi, Retail & Marketing Manager; Yemisi Ode, IMC Manager; Tobi Adonno, Digital Marketing Manager
Little wonder the eighth edition of the Marketing Edge Annual Awards of Excellence for heroes in Nigeria’s Integrated Marketing Communications Industry held on Friday 27th of August 2021 awarded Infinix the innovative mobile phone brand of the year.
All the stars came out this weekend for the exclusive premiere of REDTV’s latest web series, Assistant Madams, Dark Hearts. REDTV, the online network supported by the United Bank for Africa continues to make impact in the creative industry on the African Continent, with a focus on job creation and growth.
The second season of the series revealed new cast members from Across Africa including Dilish Mathews, winner of the 2013 Big Brother Africa, from Namibia; award winning actresses Salma Mumim and Jocelyn Dumass from Ghana as well as Mauwuli Gavor a TV presenter turned actor, also from Ghana.
The series has a star studded cast with Singer and song writer, Sheyi Shay; Timini Egbuson; Big Brother star, Cee-C Nwadiora; Osas Ighodaro who played the infamous Chioma in the first season of Assistant Madams; Femi Branch; Ademola Adedoyin, RED Hot Topics Star, Temilola Young and Eso Dike.
The excitement over the return of REDTV’s blockbuster series Assistant Madams 2 was palpable as the show premiered at Cilantro in Lagos on Saturday night.The Executive Producer of REDTV, Bola Atta welcomed the Chairman, United Bank for Africa Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, to the premiere as well as the cast and crew and top celebrities from the entertainment industry, including the stars of The Men’s Club, Efa Iwara, Sharon Ooja, Enado Odigie, Nengi Adoki; Segilola Ogidan. Also present were Kunle Oshodi-Glover; Tobi Osoba; Obi Asika; Debola Williams and his wife Kehinde; Chude Jidenonwo; Fresh L, amongst others.
Atta who is also the Group Director for Communications at UBA spoke about the passion and drive behind UBA’s continuous support of the creative industry and said that the bank is always on the look-out for innovative ways to enable more youths build upon their talents and embrace their creative side.
She said, “UBA remains committed to growing the creative industry through its lifestyle channel – REDTV and we are really thrilled with the journey thus far. At REDTV, we are focused on creating a platform where young people can meet, create and harness their art”.
Atta thanked the Chairman of UBA, Mr Tony Elumelu and the GMD, Kennedy Uzoka for their support of all the REDTV initiatives. She also thanked Assistant Madams co-producers at Urban Vision, Tola Odunsi and Akins Akinkugbe.On his part, CEO Urban Vision and Director, Assistant Madams, Tola Odunsi, commended UBA and indeed REDTV for the continuous support in ensuring that viewers are always provided with the best quality entertainment.
“We have been partnering with UBA and REDTV to create top quality content and jobs for the past 4 years, and we are amazed by the number of jobs that have been created and people who have been employed through our partnerships alone. We look forward to many more years of partnership with REDTV.”
Odunsi
Assistant Madams Season 2 centres around three bold, beautiful, and ambitious women who want to live their best luxurious lives.
Powered by UBA, REDTV Producers of hit shows such as The Men’s Club, Our Best Friend’s Wedding, Inspector K, Assistant Madams, RED Hot Topics; Boutique Hotel, REDTV continues to collaborate with the most talented creative minds to put African entertainment on the global stage.
Subscribe to REDTV on YouTube and catch the premiere of Assistant Madams, season 2 on Wednesday, September 1, 2021, at 3pm.
Since Zikoko returned in 2018, we’ve wanted to connect with our audience, but there was always something stopping us. In 2019, it was funding. In 2020, it was Covid. This year, we finally cracked it.
Z! Fest is a community event for fun-seeking friends of Zikoko to engage with us, highlighting food, music, laughter, and drinks. Think of your favourite Detty December concert + the coolest people + best live performances.
On a breezy, clear evening in May, Tomiwa (CEO), Edwin (Editor-in-chief) and I (Ruka, the managing editor) were at an event, drinking beers and chatting with strangers when Tomiwa went: “You know, we should do a thing for our audience here — a small thing where they get together and have some fun”. I was probably on my second or third mug, which explains why I responded with: “That’s a good idea. The food and drinks are affordable, and it’s an open space. We’ll set it up in a month.”
No, we did not.
We knew that a Zikoko live event meant curating only the best experiences, so our small get-together idea grew before us. A month later, we were planning the first, limited Zikoko festival, ingeniously called Z! Fest.
To plan a kick-ass Nigerian festival, we needed money. And to get money, we had to sell the event to sponsors. We wanted brands that understood the importance of reaching their audience on a personal level. So I worked with the Business Development team to create a proposal that reflected our aspirations for the event, using this to sweet-talk potential sponsors. In another month, we had gotten three of such brands: Piggyvest, Jameson and Bature.
In the meantime, the Z! Fest team solidified the timeline and itinerary for the event. At Zikoko, we think of ourselves as the fun, smart friend who teaches you stuff by showing you people’s experiences. So we thought: How do we do organise an event that encapsulates that? The answer was:
Give them access to our arsenal – the Zikoko team
Games
Music
Zikoko merch
Meet & Greet with the Zikoko writers:
Come on down and meet the people who write the articles that are so funny, they make you say, “These guys must be on drugs!” Cosy up to Zikoko’s resident happening babe, Kunle, and ask where he gets the inspiration for his chaotically hilarious series, Interview With.” You could also trap David in a corner and force him to tell you all the Japa tips he’s learned from writing the “Abroad Life” series for so long. There will also be a Q&A and pop quiz session with the Zikoko team so get your mildly inappropriate questions ready.
Games:
We have many games proudly sponsored by Jameson and three other partners who plan to give away decks of games. Zikoko team members, Ibukun and Malakai, have put together a games night experience so epic you’ll never forget it. So come have the time of your lives but leave your naughty dares at the gate because this is not that kind of party.
Live musical performances:
To crown the evening, we’ve set up live music by Ignis Brothers, Celeste, and Mo’Believe. Before you squeeze your face and ask who these people are, keep reading:
Ignis Brothers
Consisting of Dwin the Stoic and Ruka, Ignis Brothers is a musical band experimenting with afro, folk, alternative and pop sounds. Their work covers themes on life and death — love, happiness, grief, etc.
Their more popular release, Alien at Home, has been said to cause intense pleasure and pain to listeners. Fans of BDSM will be into these ones.
You can listen to them here to get gingered for Z! Fest.
Celeste
When you listen to Celeste, you’re transported to days of chilling under the Udala tree, singing a call and response song with the village storyteller. Days before capitalism went full BDSM on you. Basically, Celeste is enchanting, and she will be running your senses amok by the time she gets on stage. If you’re a fan of folk, spiritual music, or good music in general, you will enjoy this.
Mo’Believe
Mo’Believe is an urban folklore singer who likes to tell vintage stories from an urban point. His sultry Yoruba lyrics is the wave on which most of these stories ride.
His major influences include legendary Ebenezer Obey, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, and Orlando Owoh, so you know he has depth. Mo’Believe always provokes emotion with his sound. Listen to his debut EP here to be provoked.
To ensure that Z! Fest is a fun and SAFE experience for everyone, we will be implementing the latest COVID-19 safety procedures. There will be sanitisers at the gate and temperature checks taken by security. Everyone is also expected to have their masks on at all times.
We’ve put three months worth of thought and planning into making sure we give the best show on August 28th. So…
Parties are fun and lit right, but there is no way a party is ever complete without taking amazing pictures – and this what TECNO helped the housemates achieve at the first Saturday night party in the Shine Ya Eyes mansion.
Housemates after taking out time to look their best on the dance floor, gave quality content to their fans via pictures and videos, which were all captured using TECNO’s high-end flagship smartphone, the Phantom X.
There is no way you can doubt that the combination of the housemates’ dazzling looks and the top camera quality of the device gave fans what we can all conclude to be premium content.
TECNO has over the years been giving Nigerians an exciting mobile experience and this cannot be doubted at any point. Just barely a few weeks after the brand launched the premium smartphone, the Phantom X, the brand is sticking to its promise to “Stop At Nothing” to create memorable moments for its audience. And what better way to do this than to light up the BBNaija fun with amazing camera action.
Here are some stunning pictures taken with the extraordinary device from the party on Saturday, where the Phantom X worked its magic.
Whilst TECNO has been pushing the front by continuously upping the game in mobile technology over the years, the brand has also continued to deliver Nigerians with the best of entertainment over and over.
TECNO’s commitment to unlocking the best contemporary technologies for progressive individuals has seen the brand give customers elegantly designed and intelligent products like the Phantom X that would aid in the pursuit of excellence. But the brand is also commited to build extraordinary moments and it is safe to say that there would be more extraordinary moments captured by the BBNaija housemates using the Phantom X.
Don’t miss out on the fun. See you at the next Saturday night party.
Smartphone brand, TECNO, has just received the 2021 Beacon of Information and Communications Technology (BoICT) Award for “Mobile Phone Brand of the Year”. This will make it the second time the brand will be getting this recognition after it did in 2020.
This achievement reaffirms TECNO’s innovative capabilities as a leader in the mobile phone industry. The award was announced at an industry event held on July 24 at Eko Hotels & Suites and was presented by the Keynote Speaker of the day; CEO, Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria, Muhammad Rudman.Speaking about the Award, Vincent Uzoegbu, PR Communications and Media Manager, TECNO Mobile, West Africa said;
TECNO has always prided itself on designing products that deliver premium experiences and power-packed performances. Unprecedented innovation has been the brand’s hallmark from the get go. We are thankful and honoured at this recognition.”
In recent years, TECNO has gained more and more reputation and attention in global and local markets, especially with its successes across Africa and the relaunch of the PHANTOM brand that not only marked a jump by the brand to rival at the higher-end market section, but also a significant change to the competitive landscape in global emerging markets. The brand has been consistent in striving for excellence by delivering the latest in product functions, image, user experience and other areas of mobile technology.
Addressing Industry experts and stakeholders at the event, Muhammad Rudman reiterated the need for the adoption of 5G network in Africa, allaying fears around the safety of the technology in his keynote speech titled “How 5G can Help Internet Service Delivery”.
Now in its 12th year, the BoICT Awards is an initiative of the media house, Nigeria Communications Week, aimed at rewarding best practices and recognizing outstanding contributions of individuals and organizations to the growth of ICT. The event is widely regarded as the most prestigious annual event available in the ICT industry in Nigeria. This year, it had in attendance a large gathering of ICT practitioners, regulators, financiers, amongst others.
About TECNO
TECNO Mobile is a smartphone brand from TRANSSION Holdings. With “Stop at Nothing” as its brand essence, TECNO is committed to unlocking the best contemporary technologies for progressive individuals across global emerging markets, giving them elegantly designed products that inspires consumers to uncover a world of possibilities.
TECNO understands the needs of consumers from different markets and provides them with localized innovations which is demonstrated through their mastery of serving consumers who are “young at heart” and never stops pursuing excellence. TECNO’s portfolio spans across smartphones, smart wearables and devices made for consumers in over 60 emerging markets across the world. TECNO is also the Official Partner of Manchester City, Premier League Champions 2020-21. For more information, please visit: www.tecno-mobile.com.
Yasss! It’s Dorime Season as Wema Bank opens the floodgate of giveaways for its customers in the ongoing Wema Bank’s “5 for 5” Promo! Here are Five Fascinating Facts about it that you cannot afford to miss.
Over 30 million Naira to be won
TLSPKPK? A total of N31.5m cool cash will be given away to lucky customers as part of the ongoing Wema Bank ‘5 for 5’ promo. Who says it’s not plenty? Pepper anyone who does abeg.
You can say bye-bye to sapa with N1 Million!
Bruh, forget! This sapa season, everyone stands a chance of becoming a millionaire in this exciting Wema Bank’s “5 for 5” Promo as there will be a grand prize of N1m for 1 lucky customer every month till the promo ends. Sapandemic is for he that is not smart! Wake up! Hop on this Promo asap!
Promo will run for 9 months
The new reward scheme from Nigeria’s leading innovative bank will run for the next 9 months! Everybody must cash out this season! Every month, 20 customers will win N100,000 each, and another 50 will grab N10,000 each as consolation prizes in this Wema Bank’s “5 for 5” Promo. Omo! Play me Dorime already! Cash out season is here!!!
You need from 5k only to qualify
All you need to do to win is fund your account with at least N5,000 and carry out a minimum of 5 transactions on either ALAT, USSD *945# or with your Wema Debit card monthly and maintain a minimum account balance of N10,000 at the end of the month. Then voila! Millionaire status is loading …ding …ding loading!
Both old and new Wema bank customers are welcome
The Wema Bank’s “5 for 5” promo is unique because it is open to new and existing customers nationwide and those who recently reactivated their accounts. They all stand a chance to become millionaires every month after electronic draws.
Infinix Mobility has tagged this month as ‘Infinix Brand Month’ with a lineup of interesting activities, and of course, prizes to be won. You can be a part of the lucky winners when you walk into a shop and purchase any of the listed products; ZERO 8, NOTE 10 SERIES, HOT 10 & HOT 10T series.
Here’s how to be a winner:
After the purchase of any of these Infinix devices ( ZERO 8, NOTE 10 SERIES, HOT 10 & HOT 10T series);
Walk up to the Infinix Lucky Deep BOX
Take a picture and post on social media using the hashtag #MyLuckyDayWithInfinix
Dip your hand inside the Lucky Deep Box to bring out a paper
Open it, what you see is what you WIN!
You get to scratch and win instant gifts like Electric Kettle, Jalamia, Airtime, and other Infinix branded items after your purchase.
Also, every 2 weeks, an online raffle draw will be conducted at the Infinx Studio to reward customers who purchase any Infinix Device. Celebrities will be featured on the live raffle draws and there would be an airtime giveaway for viewers of the online raffle draw, so you don’t want to miss it. The grand prices worth 4,000, 000 to be won in the Infinix Brand Month include Infinix TV, InBook, Deep Freezer, Fridge, Washing Machine, and Water Dispenser.
Infinix is not just committed to the needs of its consumers alone but its staff as well. So, asides from the activities for customers and fans, the staff are not left out as activities have been lined up for Infinix staff this month. The Infinix Team Day, which would be on the 12th of July, would feature all staff in the office dressed corporately for a photoshoot session. On the 14th of July, all staff would wear Infinix branded shirts. Then, on the 16th of July, all staff would dress in traditional attires and the best dressed gets a special gift.
The offers for the Infinix Brand Month and the lineup of activities last till the 5th of August 2021. If you want to be a part of the lucky winners of the Infinix Brand Month, you know what to do. You can check out Infinix on Facebook, and Instagram at @Infinixnigeria or www.Infinixmobility.com/ng.
This Infinix INBook X1Pro from Infinix is the perfect blend of productivity and portability that satisfies consumers’ major pain points. It is simply a perfect blend of innovation, intelligence, and craftsmanship.
If you’ve always wanted the best tech specs and affordability at the same time, you can get the INBook X1Pro without thinking twice. Infinix is offering you a premium experience at an affordable price and a chance to win this laptop for free.
It is lightweight and holds a lot of power with an all-aluminum alloy body, screen brightness, high color gamut, 65W fast charge, a long standby, and an ultra-thin and ultra-light body. This laptop guarantees high performance, long battery life, fast charge for enhanced productivity, a better entertainment experience, and even more.
How to Win
If you want to get the INbook experience, you can be a part of the 6 people getting the device for free. All you have to do is participate and you can get this laptop by following these simple steps;
1. Upload a picture of Timini, DJ Kaywise, Priscilla Ojo, Nancy, or any other celebrity sharing their experience with the INbook
2. Write a 50 – 300-word story about how laptops or technology has changed your life or helped your career, and stand a chance to get the INBook experience
3. Upload using the Hashtag #InbookX1Pro, tag @Infinixnigeria, and the celebrity whose picture you’ve uploaded.
The story would be reviewed by the Judges on three criteria, Originality, Creativity, and Engagement.Three winners would get – i7laptop and another three would get – i3 laptop.
Aside from this, there’s another catch. The first 50 people to purchase an Infinix INBookX1Pro will be rewarded! Just upload your details on https://www.infinixmobility.com/laptops/inbook to win a BoomBox and a laptop kit There will also be special gifts for people that purchase the laptop in the first week but don’t fall among the first 50 people. Needless to say, time is ticking, so go get your Infinix INBookX1Pro now.
Pop Cola is a new brand of soft drink by recently commissioned Mamuda Beverages Limited. This article gives details on its launch, brand ambassador and other vital information.
They said ‘a healthy globalization does not bring about cultural and identity erasure.’ By all means, this rings true now more than ever. Pop Cola provides Nigerians with an opportunity to compete with other beverage companies especially those of foreign nomenclature.
We have seen brand ambassadors of a variety of brands which are mostly foreign celebrities. This time around, an indigenous company showcases eagerness to sign our indigenous celebrity although, he has already achieved international status in this aspect. The brand Ambassador being Ahmed Musa, the current Captain of Super Eagles; one with the record of scoring more goals than any other player at a national level.
The signing and the unveiling of the new Pop Cola drink which took place on the 26th of June, 2021 at the Mamuda Beverages Limited Group of Companies was led by the seasoned business mogul and CEO, Hassan Hammoud. This event is a testament to all that has been mentioned prior. It is also pertinent to mention here that this act by the Mamuda Groups of Companies poses a challenge to not just other businessmen of Kano extraction, but also businesses based in other regions and abroad.
The Chairman of Mamuda Groups and CEO, Mr Hassan Hammoud also called Mamuda, is an entrepreneur and seasoned businessman striving to explore new business frontiers and provide clients with cutting edge solutions. The interesting thing about his business is the fact that it is based in Kano and resulted in the employment of more than 12, 000 Nigerians.
After Wednesday’s unveiling of Super Eagles Striker, Ahmed Musa as the brand ambassador of Pop Cola, the commissioning of the factory comes along with the official launch of the beverage. Worthy of note is the fact that Pop Cola has already begun to make noise in the market, with distributors and consumers eagerly anticipating the product for purchase.
Pop Cola is indeed one of the main brands of the Mamuda Group of Companies alongside other franchises including but not limited to Mamuda Tannery, Mamuda Agro, Mamuda Industries, Mamuda Foods and Mamuda Sacks. To that end, it is also right to say it is an indigenous but international business empire that intends to church out quality products, distribute in Nigeria and also export to other countries.
By doing so, Pop Cola and other products from different franchises of Mamuda Group are certainly ours to cherish and take pride in.
ALAT by Wema, Nigeria’s first digital bank, is hosting a speed-eating competition and here’s everything you need to know about it.
1. Anyone can compete
There are no special criteria to enter the competition. Are you a young Nigerian between the ages of 18 to 35? Then you’re good to go! You need to sign up on the ALAT app with the code ‘SQUAD’, then head to the ALAT’s verified social media channels (@alat_ng, on Instagram and Alat by Wema on Facebook) to complete the registration.
2. Free Food
All you need to do is bring yourself and a big appetite. A speed-eating challenge tests how fast you can finish a food item before your opponent. How quickly can you eat? The world record for eating a 12-inch pizza is 32.28 secs! That’s the size of a medium pizza. Whew!
3. Fastest mouth (and fingers) takes it all
The competition is open to you and your chosen friend, but just make sure that they type as fast as you eat. Because within the allotted time it takes you to eat, your friend has to complete the signup on the ALAT app.
4. You’re getting paid to eat
If you get contacted, you stand a chance to win ₦100k! All because you eat fast. It doesn’t get more fun than that. You’re going to be battling with other teams, so register on the app, follow ALAT on social media and sit tight because you just might be called on to display your speed-eating skills.
Kuuzza, a decentralised sales network set to empower thousands of Africans to earn money online.
BrandMobile Africa, creators of Kuuzza announced the launch of its decentralised sales platform, developed specifically for businesses to connect seamlessly to motivated sellers. Business owners now have the opportunity to expand their businesses to reach new demographics faster without the interference of middlemen or multiple retailers while sellers can earn money by selling products on the virtual inventory without any upfront capital.
In effect, Kuuzza is automating the traditional person to person commerce that is often driven by personal relationships, word of mouth and social commerce.
“It is with great happiness and genuine excitement that we announce the release of Kuuzza,” said Toby Nwanede, CEO and co-founder of Kuuzza at the brand launch.
The Gap Kuuzza is Bridging in The Retail Industry
Kuuzza provides a risk-free, exciting, profitable & sustainable business for young, agile and entrepreneurial Nigerians looking for an alternative source of income.
Kuuzza’s solution touches manufacturers, distribution companies, logistics providers, fulfilment centres, credit/loan facilitators, etc. Kuuzza combines retail, tech, escrow payment integration and logistics in order to attain customer fulfilment. With Kuuzza, everyone’s a winner. Every stakeholder, be it the vendor, seller or end-user, everyone gets value for every sale.
Why choose Kuuzza?
Business owners can manage and keep track of their inventory. Products are available to resellers at no upfront cost. Sellers can access thousands of products on the go. Payments are processed using a secured, frictionless payment channel that is accessible by all. Resellers can select any product on Kuuzza, decide and add their desired profit themselves before selling directly to customers.
For every product sold on Kuuzza, resellers earn points that can be redeemed for airtime, vouchers and cash. All these benefits and more are available to all stakeholders on the Kuuzza platform.
‘’Today has been a proud and humbling day as we launched Kuuzza in a small but wonderful event” said Toby Nwanede, CEO and Co-Founder, Kuuzza. He continued, “I am deeply grateful to my team at BrandMobile Africa who have worked tirelessly to put this product together. Kuuzza isn’t just a powerful solution, it represents a significant project for us. What is more powerful is that every single thing that you are selling on this platform can be tracked in real-time through your Kuuzza dashboard. Vendors can see who is selling their products, and how their product is performing – these are real data that can be used to make quick intelligent decisions”.
While speaking at the event, Habeeb Aremu, COO and Co-Founder, Kuuzza had this to say:
‘’Kuuzza will be among the most significant platforms empowering Africans (businesses and individuals) in the next 5 years. The objective is to ensure that for individuals it becomes a lifestyle application and for businesses, it becomes an enabler.’’
Gbemiga Jacobs, Founder, All Things Adire, a vendor on Kuuzza.com, who was present at the event, shared his thoughts on the platform, ‘’It’s awesome, this is really awesome, and a good one and makes my life easier, because I get to focus on producing while giving other chains to others including delivery. I will really also love to see more vendors onboarded and I am talking to 5 other people at the moment.’’
Hassan Tukpe-Ajikobi, Project Manager, Home Et Al shared his thoughts on Kuuzza’s referral program, ‘’I think the referral program will be a huge boost because those who are in the small and medium scale businesses will usually have downlines and if you can find a way to encourage them, they can bring more vendors.’’
How to sign up on Kuuzza.com
Getting started on Kuuzza.com is as easy as these few steps:
1. Create an account
Sign up at no cost and access our inventory immediately.
2. Find a product, decide profit and market
Find and market products to potential buyers via social media or any other channel of your choice, sell.
3. Getpaid
After selling, we handle the payments and logistics. You get paid.
About Kuuzza
Founded by BrandMobile Africa, Kuuzza presents an opportunity for businesses to expand and reach into multiple regions without costly physical set-ups while providing a decentralized selling experience for Nigerians where everybody wins.
Music they say gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything. Music is healing, it is an explosive expression of humanity, something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music and that is why we are particularly excited about this week, which has been reserved to celebrate World Music Day.
Imagine a week dedicated to all things music. That week is here, Make Music Lagos is the global celebration of World Music Day, held annually on June 21. Launched in 1982 in France as the Fête de la Musique, it has become a celebration held on the same day in more than 1,000 cities across 120 countries. Open to everyone, regardless of age or skill level, this weeklong event calls for people to pour into their communities and share music with the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of people from across the world transform their city into a dance music paradise.
Completely different from a typical music festival, Make Music is a multi-venue event, open to anyone who wants to take part. Every kind of musician — young and old, amateur, and professional, of every musical persuasion, shares their music with friends, neighbors, and strangers. All of it is free, un-ticketed, and open to the public. In 2016 Make Music Day activities found another unique home in Lagos Nigeria and has since organized over 100 musical events and over 500 artists have performed on the Make Music Lagos platform.
Now in its sixth year, Make Music Lagos unifies events all over Lagos as it opens its doors for a week-long marathon of music events from 21st to 27th June across multiple physical and virtual locations in Lagos to collectively feature almost every major artist in the music scene. The lineup of events includes Learn to Play, Learn to DJ, Live from Home Concert, New Music Marathon, Pop-up Worship, Music Business Conference, My Song is Your Song, Shutdown Concert among others.
Make Music Lagos is made up of partners who work together to organise and promote Make Music Day. This year, MTN has partnered with Make Music Lagos to deliver memorable experiences through exciting event categories like the MTN Live from home concert where talented artists like KhemmieSings, J’Dees, Bibicentric, David Operah, Idono, and others perform live on their Instagram pages. My Song is Your Song is another event category where local artists are paired with foreign artists to perform a cover of each other’s tracks. This event gets more exciting as MTN will be giving out amazing prices to select local artists in the Best Cover Challenge. The Music Business Conference, a sponsored event category would take place on the 24th of June and includes two-panel sessions to discuss ‘The structure and future of the music business and an interesting discussion on ‘Women inclusion in the music business’ Panelists include Yemi Alade, Burna Boy’s Mum Bose Ogulu, amongst others. There is also the New Music Marathon happening on the 25th of June, two-hour-long airplay of songs never played on the radio. Here, artists submit fresh and original singles for verification, to be aired on Y’ello Top 10.
Make Music Lagos will climax at the Shutdown concert, the grand finale of the celebration of world music day in Lagos, happening on the 26th of June at Muson Centre. In the last 5 years, the attendance for this concert counts up to thousands. Big acts in Nigeria like King Sunny Ade, Bez, Johnny Drille, Ladipoe, Waje, Omawumi, to list a few have graced the Shutdown stage. The Shutdown event will be a hybrid event this year with A-list artists like Iyanya, Brymo, Femi Leye, MI Abaga, and Dotti of MTN Y’ello Star giving high-octane performances that will send the city of Lagos and the continent reverberating.
How can you be involved? Make Music Lagos is open to everyone and you can get involved by hosting an event, volunteering with the Make Music Team, providing resource support, attending a Make Music Lagos event, and spreading the word about Make Music Lagos. There are a lot of musical performances by artists, ready to treat everyone to special live musical performances. There you have it, let’s make music this week Lagos!
Everyone’s favourite AI-powered music video app and talent discovery platform, Triller, will be hosting a special concert to celebrate World Music Day on Monday, 21 June, the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. World Music Day/Fête de la Musique, which was first celebrated in France in 1982, is an annual event that now takes place in 120 countries and showcases the transformational and unifying power of music.
Amateurs and professionals alike are encouraged to share their music by playing in public spaces and parks or by participating in free concerts simply for the pleasure of making music. The ultimate music festival, World Music Day is a global celebration of the form in all its incarnations and is an informal, playful and community-driven way to make a joyful noise.
Triller, which has welcomed a whole host of homegrown African talent to its stable of curators to TrillerTV, is proving to be much more than just a music app. It’s cutting through old barriers and is becoming a channel for celebrating an authentic, empowered, actualised and self-referential African-ness. The app’s rooted but experimental ethos is challenging stereotypes, by-passing traditional power structures, and creating a unique form of digital democracy.
Triller’s playlist on the day will feature a fantastic line-up of contemporary talent from across the African continent, including Focalistic from South Africa, Khaligraph Jones and Karun from Kenya, Mannywellz, Oxlade, Bella Shmurda and Zlatan from Nigeria, Blanche Bailly from Cameroon, KiDi from Ghana and Serge Beynaud from Ivory Coast.
Triller’s call to action – You.Do.You – lives through everything it does – through the power of music and celebrating moments like World Music Day, Triller provides a channel through which individuals from vastly different social and cultural backgrounds can find their true paths and speak out in their own voices.
Do you know that Amber Drinks Ltd is celebrating its first anniversary with an online game called “Amber Rush” ? Here are 5 reasons why you should play Amber Rush:
1. You can win amazing prizes
Playing a game and winning amazing prizes has to be the best thing since jollof rice, brace yourselves and win loads of goodies.
2. It’s a good way to kill boredom
An idle mind they say is the devil’s workshop. Do you wanna be lazy on the bed doing nothing or tasking your brain with an engaging game?
3. A great exercise
Brace yourselves and get a chilled can of Amber Energy Drink as you’d be doing a lot of screen tapping which is good for finger exercise.
4. You can challenge your friends to beat your highscore
To all your friends who think they are better than you in gaming, here’s your chance to prove them wrong.
5. You can improve your financial status
Wouldn’t you want to change your financial status from a thousand naira to a million bucks? Well, by playing the Amber Rush game, you too can stand a chance to call yourself a millionaire.
While smart investing is a sure way to build and retain wealth, it can be a daunting prospect for beginners. In the same vein, it is a lot easier when you understand the various options in which you can invest and ultimately grow your wealth. Here are some options you can consider when taking the step to managing your wealth like a pro – explained in simple terms:
Treasury Bills
Treasury bills (T-bills) are risk-free, short-term investment instruments that are issued by the Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It is a way the government raises funds from individuals and organisations. They are considered among the safest investments with attractive returns since they are backed by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government. In addition, the longer the maturity date, the higher the interest rate that the T-Bill will pay to an investor. Although T-bills yield a lower rate of return compared to other forms of investment, they offer safety and a predictable profit which makes them a good choice for long-term investments in your portfolio.
When investing in T-bills, it is important to take note of the prevailing rate and your expected returns upon maturity. However, if you decide to sell before maturity, you may incur a loss depending on the prevailing market value.
Fixed Deposit
A Fixed Deposit is a short-term investment that guarantees you a fixed interest rate when you keep funds for a specified period. The minimum tenor is 30 days and the maximum is 365 days – at the end of the agreed period (tenor), your principal and interest amount earned are paid to you. This product can also be used as security for cash-backed loans.
The ideal strategy for Fixed Deposit investments is to diversify and spread out your investments across various banks while striking the right balance between risk and returns. It is also important to note that if your Fixed Deposit investment is terminated before maturity, the total accrued interest not earned will be forfeited. This means that only the portion of interest earned during the period that your money was held is what will be paid to you.
FGN Bonds
Federal Government Bonds are long-term instruments issued by the Debt Management Office on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN). When you buy FGN Bonds, you are lending to the FGN for a specified period of time and the FGN is obligated to pay you the principal and agreed interest as and when due, meaning that they have no default risk. Not only do these bonds offer opportunities to investors willing to invest long-term but also attractive interests that are paid bi-annually (twice a year). FGN Bonds can be accessed through primary licensed dealers and before investing, pay attention to the prevailing rate, maturity, payment dates and expected returns so you can make an informed decision.
Commercial Paper
A Commercial Paper (CP) is a short-term unsecured debt instrument issued by financial institutions and large corporations with high credit ratings. As a short-term instrument, CPs normally mature within 270 days. CPs are issued at a discount, which means interest is paid upfront. CPs are more suitable for risk tolerance and before investing, you may want to do your due diligence on the issuing company and take note of its risk of default. This entails an evaluation of their credit rating, brand reputation and experience of the management team. While CPs offers a return on investment in 270 days or less, it’s paid at maturity, not periodically, like with FGN bonds and other similar debt securities. It may be wise to consider all of your investment options before investing in commercial papers.
Eurobond
Eurobonds are financial instruments denominated in a currency other than that of the issuer – for example, a Nigerian Eurobond is issued by Nigeria in U.S Dollars. Despite their name, Eurobonds aren’t necessarily denominated in Euros and can take many different forms. They are issued either by Governments or corporate institutions and are highly liquid i.e can easily be converted into cash, which is a key benefit of this form of investment.
Given that Eurobonds come as government and corporates, as a prospective investor, you have to decide which to buy. While corporate-issued Eurobonds may offer higher interest than government-issued ones, they also offer higher risk. Like every other investment, buying Eurobonds should be a well thought out process and it is advisable to review and understand the risk profile of any Eurobond that you are interested in buying.
Managing your wealth
Wealth management is personal and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to go about it, which is why it is important to have the right knowledge and information.
Always start with a clear picture of your financial goals while understanding your risk tolerance. Once this is understood, diversify your portfolio with the mix reflecting your tolerance for risk. Understanding these investment options is essential, however, it is also important to rely on sound recommendations from experts while dismissing “hot tips” from unverified sources. While this can seem complicated, a good partner will make it simple – even exciting.
The digital investment app, M36, not only delivers a wide range of investment products, including those highlighted above, but also offers support by professional financial advisors to enable you make sound investment choices that suit your needs.
Download the M36 App from the Google Play Store or the App store today and pick Your Track to Wealth.
Union Bank has announced a nationwide campaign to give away 55 Million Naira to new and existing customers in its ‘Save & Win Palli’ promo. This is another way the Bank is offering Nigerians some relief (a.k.a. ‘palliative’) from the economic hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues.
During the promo period which runs from June to December 2021, new and existing customers who save a minimum amount of N10,000 monthly, will qualify to win whopping cash rewards and prizes.
A total of 350 customers will win N100,000 each in the monthly draws, while six customers will be awarded N1,000,000 each during the quarterly draws. The grand finale will take place in December, with one customer winning the grand prize of N5,000,000. An additional 300 customers will win amazing gifts, bringing the total number of winners in the promo to 657. The Bank’s Head of Retail Banking and Digital, Lola Cardoso, while kicking off the campaign, reiterated the Bank’s consistent effort to give back to customers. She said:
“Union Bank is excited to give back to her customers through this Save & Win Palli Promo which is one of the many ways we are supporting Nigerians during these times. This campaign presents a wonderful opportunity to reward our customers in ways that matter and foster the culture of saving. Union Bank remains committed to enabling success for Nigerians.”
Union Bank customers can top up their savings with multiples of N10,000 to increase their chances of winning in the draws. The promo winners will emerge through a series of transparent, electronically- generated draws supervised by relevant regulatory institutions. Prospective customers can download the UnionMobile app on their mobile phones to open accounts, or walk into any Union Bank branch. To reactivate existing accounts, returning customers can call the 24-hour Contact Centre on 07007007000 or also visit any of Union Bank’s branches across the country.
For more updates on the Save and Win Palli promo, follow Union Bank on Facebook, and Instagram .
A new online conversation App, tribe naija has berthed in the Nigerian online space. The App is a community-based platform specifically developed for Nigerians to network and have conversations on issues of common interest.
The Tribe Naija App was launched in Abuja on June 12, 2021 during the Fireside Chat event held at the Sheu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in commemoration of Democracy Day.
The App, which is currently available for download on the Google Apps store and IOS for iPhone users is a brainchild of the Advocacy for One Nigeria Initiative, The Advocacy for One Nigeria InitiativeSpeaking during the launch of the App, the founder, Advocacy for One Nigeria Initiative, Chief Kola Abiola, son of Late Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 election described the platform as a ‘child of necessity’ that has come to give Nigerians the opportunity to bring their voice together especially as it relates to issues that affect them.
According to him, the creation of the App was informed by the need to use technology to promote cohesion and inclusion among Nigerians using some of the knowledge or lessons gained from political leaders and thinkers such as Moshood Abiola and Shehu Yar’Adua among others while they were alive.
Abiola noted that the tribe naija App, developed and designed by Mewa international LLC, is expected to serve as a safe haven for Nigerians to talk and be heard. He stressed that the platform would offer Nigerians regardless of age a forum to discuss and chat about all the issues affecting their well being as citizens.
He disclosed that the app is meant to drive like-minded conversations geared towards the improvement of the country and create a platform for them to prepare for a better future.
“By speaking, we would erase the divide and understand each other better. I think to a great degree we would see that we have a lot more than we think we have in common and that is why this app has been developed. We have been working on the development of the app for more than 2 years even though I have been nurturing this idea ten years ago. On this app, there is a voice note. You can leave messages through voice notes. We are going to have language variations as we go along which I think is enormous”
Also speaking, the technical consultant, Tribe Naija, Mr. Fady Khatib explained that the app is unique considering the value it is bringing to the table for Nigerians. He stressed that the platform remains open to a wide range of matters for discussion including both cultural and scientific, adding that it is an ecosystem where one can come to a group and discuss mainstream and unconventional ideas.
Commenting on the features of the platform, he disclosed that the application has many pockets and is designed to accommodate all methods of communication including voice chat adding that users can take part in any discussion without having to type.
“You are in the comfort of your living room and would like to be part of the discussion, you can contribute using voice chat. Even while debating, you don’t need to type. It is also a platform that enables users to dislike, like or get a reply on any topic under discussion”, he added.
He further noted that the app has been built with user-generated pockets that allow each of the users to become the moderator of its own topic. He stated that though the platform was open to all classes of people, the conversation that goes on in the platform is guided by rules and regulations which every user must comply with. He said:
“It does not come without proper monitoring, When you are on such platform, you are guided by the rules and regulation of its operations,”
The technical consultant revealed that the platform precludes users from the opportunity to buy and sell but rather to pitch ideas or innovation.
Did you miss the most exciting smartphone launch in recent times? Infinix Mobility has unveiled yet another product — the Infinix Note 10, the device that meets beauty with strength. This is the latest smartphone in their product line of the Note series. The launch, which was tagged, ‘Meet Beauty With Strength’ illustrates the beautiful screen and body of the device, while showing the strength of its processor.
Infinix Nigeria went all out at the launch of the new Infinix Note 10 to showcase the elements of the new Note 10- Speed, Beauty, Power, and Strength. There was a beautiful array of speedbikes, luxurious cars and exotic rides that made for an exhilarating experience and the celebrities sure did have fun showing the fans the most interesting features of the phone. It was a fun event for all involved. Watch the video on YouTube here Infinix Note 10 Launch.
The online launch was broadcast live on TV with celebrities like Nancy Isime, Timini Egbuson, Osas Ighodaro, and Poco Lee taking fans through the different features of the phone. The event was filled with thrill and excitement around the main features of the Note 10 – speed, beauty, power, strength – as the functionalities of the new smartphone were tested live. From Timini and Poco Lee testing out the powerful processor with video games to Nancy, Osas and some fans taking beautiful high quality images, the event was amazingly fun. You can catch the replay for the live stream of the Note 10 launch here and find out how to win amazing prizes.
Infinix Mobility, with the slogan as “The Future is Now” prides itself as one of the Fastest-Growing Mobile Phone Brands in Africa with a 160% sales growth worldwide between 2018 and 2020. They have been ranked 26th among the TOP 100 MOST-ADMIRED BRANDS IN AFRICA. Their mission is to empower today’s youth with Smart Devices using cutting edge technology and they have been living up to this with every new product they release.
The Infinix Note 10 boasts of being the World’s biggest center-punch screen smartphone with a super amazing Helio G95 processor. The superior CPU and GPU performance allows it to operate with a 58% download speed faster than its predecessors.It comes with a 6.95” FHD for superfluid display for a quality viewing experience while gaming, watching videos or performing other functions on the phone.The smartphone offers users less eye fatigue during use due to its TÜV Rheinland Certified Low Blue Light Technology. Users can also capture images like a pro with a 64MP AI Quad camera that provides for a stunning photographic experience. The device operates with a 5000mAh battery and allows fast charge for quick refill so users are not cut off from the immersive experience. It comes with a unique design and stylish colours of 95Black, 7Purple, Emerald Green and Nordic Secret.
You can preorder the device on Ng.Xpark.com for just N2500 or N2000 for Note 10 Pro and Note 10 respectively. The Infinix brand also unveiled the latest addition to its product line with the Infinix Laptop, also called The Inbook X1. More information can be found on their social media pages @InfinixNigeria on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
Ramadan is usually a reverred period for Muslim faithfuls to spend time reflecting, praying fervently and reconnecting with family. As is customary, Ramadan also serves as the Month Of Good for Muslims all around the world. Everyone is expected to add their quota of goodness to an otherwise bleak world.
During this period, leading tea brand, Lipton made it a point of duty to uphold some of the most important virtues of Ramadan, especially charity. Here are 3 inspiring ways Lipton achieved this:
1. The #ThinkLessDoMore Campaign
Thinking of doing something good for the benefit of others is great, but what’s more awesome is actually carrying out that good thought. Lipton set a good example of this through the #ThinkLessDoMore campaign aimed at doing more for customers on social media
2. Outreach
Lipton was able to reach out to over 68,000 fasting Muslims in different regions with fruit packs and steaming cups of Lipton. This helped them break their Ramadan fast in a healthy and wholesome manner. A healthy body, helps with a healthy mind. Awesome!
3. Fostering goodwill
The world can be difficult, especially to those not as privileged as you may be. Hence, one way we can make it better for everyone is to foster goodwill and spread hope. Again, Lipton came through and distinguished itself as not just a Tea brand, but also a source of inspiration in the community by encouraging others to do good.
Why choose Lipton?
Lipton tea provides you with flavonoid antioxidants. These antioxidants are thought to help keep one’s body healthy by preventing everyday wear and tear by free radicals. Studies observing large populations and their eating and lifestyle habits over a period of time show that regular tea drinking may help maintain heart health.
Are you a Nigerian or South African citizen between the ages of 21-25? Would you like to join the #GlobalCitizen family? Then here’s your chance to be a part of the Global Citizen Fellowship Program!
GC Fellows with BeyGOOD Director, Ivy McGregor.
Powered by Beyoncé’s BeyGOOD and funded by Tyler Perry, the Global Citizen Fellowship Program is an in-depth work experience opportunity aimed at skills development and empowering African youths. Over the last three years, Global Citizen and BeyGOOD have been helping to enrich young lives through this Africa-based fellowship program.
Since 2018, Global Citizen has welcomed 10 fellows each year from South Africa to be part of the program which sees them receive hands-on training, skills development, and work experience. For this year’s fellowship program, Global Citizen will be accepting 10 fellows from South Africa and five from Nigeria to be part of the year-long experience. Each will be provided with the skills and resources needed to help them secure work beyond their time with Global Citizen. The curriculum is designed to equip fellows with the skills and tools they need to thrive — not only during their time with Global Citizen, but also in any future endeavours.
The fellows are trained on using digital technology for social change, creating impactful storytelling that shifts attitudes, the importance of building lasting professional relationships, and the role of innovation in a constantly changing world.
GC Fellowship Programme inaugural class of 2019.
Who is eligible?
If you’re based in South Africa or Nigeria and you’re between the ages of 21 and 25 with a matric or secondary school certificate, you can apply to be part of the fellowship.Applicants must be able to house themselves in Johannesburg or Lagos for the duration of the program.
What do you have to do?
Send a two to three-minute video explaining what makes you a Global Citizen, what role you believe young people play in ending extreme poverty, and what social issues you are taking action on. If you prefer writing, you can send a 500- to 700-word essay answering the same questions. Email your application to fellowship@globalcitizen.org and include a copy of your ID or passport. Applicants from minorities and underrepresented communities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Application Date: April 1 – June 4, 2021.
The program will run from July 5, 2021 to June 20, 2022. For more information, please visit the Global Citizen application page.
Global premier mobile phone brand, TECNO, has taken centre stage once again with the newest phone in its CAMON series – the TECNO CAMON 17.
Entering the scene with an exciting launch, fans and viewers were treated to a first of its kind fashion-focused launch show, bringing to life the beauty of the Camon 17 series as the smartphone for the stylish, trendy and modern consumer. The launch also highlighted thought-provoking subjects surrounding the rise of the selfie and the selfie generation’s needs.
The launch, titled “Rise of The Selfie” dived into the selfie’s history and why it has become such an essential feature of the current generation. It aligned with a cause TECNO has been championing: a smartphone is not about the brand, but about the individuality of each consumer.
For the fashion show, Kunle Afolayan, Kelechi Amadi-Obi, Bibyonce, Yolanda Okereke and Unlimited LA, all share their valuable insights. They introduced the audience to the camera power of the Camon 17. This gave the audience an understanding of why the TECNO CAMON 17 is so well-suited for its users.
They all flaunted the phone’s sleek details and camera skills, claiming that selfie phones like the TECNO CAMON 17 Pro allows users to control their own images by taking photos that showcase the best of themselves.
Fitted with the most updated functions, the TECNO CAMON 17 will also use the next generation TAIVOS 2.0 to optimise the camera settings based on the user’s scenery changes.
The TECNO CAMON 17’s entrance to the smartphone market came at the perfect time. Users want more from their selfies and would appreciate a smartphone with a high-quality camera and grants them the freedom to explore their creativity. The TECNO CAMON series does just that. It simplifies the photo taking process for the user’s ease of use and made it so much more enjoyable even for someone not well-versed with technology.
The 64+8+5+2MP super powerful camera modules bring users unprecedented clear photography experiences. Each camera lens has its own mission and outstanding feature, truly living up to the users’ expectation that each picture could be a masterpiece. The 48MP super clear selfie lens, and 8MP ultra wide-angle selfie lens, is such a marvellous combination that definitely set off a hot trend in the industry.
The innovative launch event exploring the story of selfie reflects the rising brand horizon to exert more effort on industrial, social, and humanistic care rather than the product portfolio only. This is an indication that TECNO is on the way to becoming one of the leading brands around the world.
The Camon 17 Series have the Camon 17 Pro, Camon 17P, Camon 17, will sell at a recommended retail price 125,000, 97,000 and 75,000 Naira respectively and is already available in all authorized phone dealers and retail stores nationwide.
According to the World Health Organisation, one in four Nigerians live with a mental health condition. That’s 50 million Nigerians. Yet, the country is ill-equipped to provide adequate care to the people who need it the most. With only eight federal government-run neuropsychiatric hospitals, there are a ton of people in need of mental health care but are unable to access it.
Institutions aren’t the only things that are inadequate. The laws are too. The latest mental health legislation in Nigeria is the Lunacy Act of 1958. In this archaic law, people with mental health issues are all classified as lunatic. It does not provide for the support of persons with mental health disabilities and enables the arbitrary detention of people who have been classified as lunatics.
There’s a certain stigma attached to mental health issues. From fear to dread, people often view mental health conditions as a disability rather than as an illness.
She Writes Woman, a nonprofit mental health advocacy group, has also been at the forefront of the fight to pass legislation that complies with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons Living with Disabilities (UN CRPD), an international law passed in 2006 which seeks to recognise, protect and promote the rights of persons with all disabilities globally
A number of mental health bills have been presented to Nigeria’s National Assembly in the past decade, and none of those bills has complied with the UN CRPD’s (which Nigeria is a party to) guideline of adopting a human rights-respecting approach to mental health conditions.
This is where She Writes Woman + Zikoko come in
She Writes Woman, in partnership with Zikoko are using the month of May, internationally recognised as Mental Health Awareness Month, to highlight the challenges faced by people with mental health conditions in Nigeria. The partnership aims to draw attention to the inadequate mental health legislation in the country and mount pressure on the appropriate authorities to pass bills that are UN CRPD compliant.
With a four-part series set to run through the month of May, this project seeks to humanise the lived experiences people go through when accessing mental health care in Nigeria.
For the next four Thursdays by 1 pm, we’ll publish stories that tell the realities of living with a mental health condition in Nigeria. We hope to strike social media conversations and raise awareness about what is being done, the opportunities available, and the challenges that lay ahead.
Lagos Food Bank was established in 2015 making it the first food bank in Nigeria. Since then, the organization has been able to reach 1,500,000 people in 120 underserved communities across Lagos and other neighbouring states, with the help of a network of over 10,000 volunteers.
This Ramadan, also known as the month of all good deeds, where 1.9 billion Muslims across the world celebrate by carrying out charitable acts and giving to their community, even as they engage in fasting from dawn to dusk. Brands often take the time to express their values, speak authentically and seek to give back to communities in which they operate.
For Lagos Food Bank Initiative, this season is only one of the periods they show support for the impoverished in the society with targeted outreach programs. In this conversation with the Lagos Food Bank team, they shed light on their operations and plans for Ramadan 2021.
1. Tell us about Lagos Food Bank and the goal behind the initiative?
Lagos Food Bank Initiative is a non-profit, nutrition-focused initiative committed to fighting hunger, reducing food waste and solving the problem of malnutrition through targeted programs that seek to improve the nutrition/food intake of pregnant women and their infants who are not able to get the required nutrient during pregnancy and breastfeeding of their babies. Our primal goal is to reach out to children from 0-16, pregnant women and lactating mothers, patients of diet-related diseases, seniors from ages 50 and above, the destitute and extremely indigent families. We cater to the entire spectrum of the impoverished in our society, providing them with relief materials and nutritious food.
2. How often do you reach out to the less privileged and malnourished in society?
We reach out to the less privileged on a daily basis. We have 5 active programs targeted at addressing the problem of malnutrition and hunger.
3. What does the Holy Month of Ramadan mean to you?
To us, The Holy month of Ramadan is a month of love, kindness and giving. It’s a month of paying special attention to the needs of our Muslim brothers and sisters; especially the needy fasting Muslims. We hope to enrich their spiritual experience this Ramadan by doing the little we can to provide food and essentials for them.
4. How has Lagos Food Bank promoted love, togetherness and kindness during Ramadan in the last few years?
As part of our commitment to solving hunger-induced problems, we have worked with over ten thousand volunteers across all the 20 LGAs in Lagos to deliver meals and shelf staple items to fasting needy Muslims during Ramadan.
5. How has Lagos Food Bank used social media to reach out and impact the community during Ramadan?
We use Social media a lot, especially Facebook and its suite of Apps such as Instagram, and WhatsApp. They have been very effective and instrumental in propagating what we do, fundraising for events and recruitment of volunteers. Most of the volunteers who participate in our yearly Ramadan Feeding Programs were recruited through the Facebook suite of apps. Thanks to Facebook, we are able to reach a wider audience of both potential sponsors and volunteers.
6. What are some of the challenges you have surmounted in your journey to where you are now?
The issues of Finance, Logistics and Infrastructure. We have also been able to surmount the challenge of trust and volunteer apathy towards charitable causes. We have recruited over 11,000 volunteers from inception till date who help in reaching all our beneficiaries across Lagos state and its environs.
7. This is the second Ramadan being celebrated during COVID-19 pandemic. How has this affected your outreach and how has it motivated you to do more to help the needy in society?
Last year, the COVID 19 lockdown had a great impact on so many families in Lagos state. Our mission is to act as a frontline agency to assist those struggling with hunger across the country. This period was the time our food interventions were needed the most and thankfully Lagos Food Bank received permission from the government to operate throughout the lockdown. Through the help and support of our frontline volunteers who were resilient and willing to put their lives and wellbeing at risk, we were able to provide meals from door to door to needy Muslims for the 30 days of Ramadan in 2020. This Ramadan, we hope to do even more.
8. How will you be showing acts of kindness this Ramadan?
In addition to our Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program where we provide immediate food, nutrition and relief assistance to families in low-cost communities, we have been providing Iftar (meal served at the end of the day during Ramadan) to feed fasting needy Muslims in Agege, Lagos and other neighbouring communities. This exercise has been a daily activity for us all through the Holy Month of Ramadan.
A few weeks ago, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and the first African to be chosen as director-general of the World Trade Organisation. Last year, during the End SARS movement, the feminist coalition and other women did excellent work in raising funds, releasing protesters who were unlawfully arrested and protesting online. Every day around the world, Nigerian women are breaking boundaries in and out of the workplace. Safe to say that Nigerian women are superstars.
However, when we talk about glass ceilings, it’s usually within the western context. It’s hard to find a wide range of entertaining and enlightening stories about Nigerian women who are just doing the damn thing.
With more young women at the helm of innovation, technology, business and in the corporate world, there’s a lot of documenting that we’re not doing, a lot of stories that we’re not telling. As a platform that documents and tells important stories, we are well positioned to find female leaders and tell their stories.
To celebrate the wonderful work that women are doing, in this women’s month, we have put together a series of stories about women excelling in tech, media, law and so much more.
It is important to tell these stories, not just for posterity sake but to gleam light into what it’s like to be a Nigerian woman in today’s world. This series will show how far we have come and how much more is left to be done.
You reading this, this series is for you. For young women all over the world and especially in Nigeria, this series is a reminder that there’s enough room at the table!
Every Monday at 12 noon in March and in April, expect a new Elevator story. Subscribe to our Her newsletter to get these stories and more stories about women right in your inbox.
While it’s mostly been a nightmare, one positive thing the pandemic has done is bring us closer to you. Now, more than ever, we’re constantly thinking about your needs and how we can meet them in unique and engaging ways.
We’ve found new ways to listen and watch out for the things you love. Take, for instance, the weekend. Before the pandemic, weekends were exclusively for resting, partying or binge-watching your favourite shows. However, a lot has changed about the way we spend our weekends.
That’s why we’ve put some deliberate thought into the kind of content we should be giving you during the weekend.
Here’s what’s coming:
Just Imagine
We are working with Hauwa, the hilarious fiction writer, to create a new series called Just Imagine. The central idea is to take the delicacy (and whiteness) out of pop culture hallmarks, like Disney princesses, Harry Potter and more, replacing them with chaotic, silly and graceless Nigerians.
We will be kicking things off with Disney princesses, and this idea will feature rewrites of famous Disney stories, narrating how things would have turned out if our favourite fictional princesses were Nigerian.
Just Imagine starts on Friday, the 12th of February, 2021. Every Friday by 2 pm, there’ll be a new story on the website.
Interview With…
Everyone who reads Zikoko religiously knows that we love to talk to people in a bid to gain some insight into their weird and interesting lives. On April 24, we went in another direction and spoke to the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge, Nollywood’s most underrated star.
Since then, we’ve spoken to the vindictive Cooking Gas, the divisive Semo and, most recently, the Remembrance Day Pigeons that embarrassed Bubu. Now, we’ve decided to make this a regular series that will feature every inanimate object and non-human entity you wish you could talk to.
Interview With… starts on Friday, the 12th of February, 2021. Every Friday by 9 a.m., there’ll be a new interview on the website.
An Advice Column
Following the success of Love Life, we are creating a weekly agony aunt series that will try to solve the relationship problems the Zikoko audience has. We want to help take your love story from a “God forbid” to a “God when?”
This will be a Saturday series and will launch sometime in March, so be on the lookout.
We can’t say much (yet), but we’re also working on two other series we know you’re going to love.
What’s getting better?
Abroad Life: Everybody wants to japa, and we’re going to assume you’re everyone. Abroad Lifewas created to investigate what the Nigerian experience outside Nigeria is. We’ve published over 50 stories in the past year. Now, we’re going deeper. Whether it’s Japan or Comoros or Estonia or a country you’ve never even heard of before, we’re going to find Nigerians there and tell their story.
Expect a new story every Friday by 12 p.m.
So You Don’t Have To: What started out as a commentary on a very bizarre book has become a recap of everything you’re curious about, but not curious enough to actually experience yourself. Whether it’s books, apps, old movies, trends or events, So You Don’t HaveTo is here to save you the stress.
Expect a new story every Friday by 6 p.m.
Man Like:What does it mean to be a Nigerian man? What the 70-year-old Urhobo man would say is different from what the 26-year-old software engineer would say. We’re bringing a diverse set of experiences around what it means to be a Nigerian man.
Expect a new story every Sunday by 12 p.m.
What do you need to do?
Spread the word.
Subscribe to our newsletter where you get the best stories curated just for you.
Follow us on your favourite social media platforms.
Whether you like memes or you don’t, you can’t lie that they make all your conversations better. From looking for the right meme that describes “Omo” or one that says “is Ashimolowo a bad bitch”, Here are five reasons why you need Zikoko’s meme site.
You can search for terms like “Amala” and all the different types of “Ehen” and you’d find the perfect meme for it. With over 5000 memes, we’ve got you covered.
2.When you’re arguing and things go south
For those numerous times on Twitter when you’re arguing with someone and you can’t type anymore because tears have clouded your eyes, instead of deactivating your account, just use our memes to save face. Best part? You won’t run out.
3. Because you don’t have space on your phone
Maybe if you upload all your memes on our site. instead of hoarding them on your phone, you’ll have space to store your pictures. Except you’re hmm, God no go shame us.
4. We have the best content
From Aki and pawpaw memes, Nollywood memes, gifs from your favorite music videos, and an interesting amount of pictures of your favorite politicians. Your meme game will become unbeatable.
5. We know where you live and we will find you and put your spirit in a bottle 🙏🏾
At Zikoko, we think of our platform as an amplifier of the voice of the Nigerian youth. That’s perhaps why we’re always looking out for conventional, unconventional, taboo, hilarious topics to write about through the lens of human experiences. This year, we’ve published variety of stories on themes like money, sex, marriage, grief, joy, love, work and so much more. Here’s a list of 13 of our most-read stories of 2020. We recommend that you read or reread these stories this holiday. This list doesn’t include quizzes.
9 in every 10 Zikoko article has a ridiculously hilarious meme, curated from Nollywood movies, comedy skits and your favorite politician’s bad behaviour.
Memes mean a lot to us, but I’m pretty sure they mean a lot to anyone who uses the internet for anything at all.
Imagine a world where all the most hilarious Nigerian and African memes on the internet can be found? Movies and social media have given us some of the most hilarious memes and gifs back-to-back. From fainting governors to Sola Sobowale’s deadly expressions on King of Boys. What if you could find these hilarious African memes in one place?
The devil works hard but the Zikoko team works harder. We went to work with some brilliant people and created memes.zikoko.com
Here’s how it started:
It started ironically or not so ironically on April 1 with a tweet, this tweet.
Zikoko should open up their meme library for us 🙏🏾 imagine being able to go and search "aki and pawpaw knife" and the correct image comes up. *chef's kiss*
Since it was Kachi’s tweet that really ignited the project into process, I asked him what the whole idea for it was and here was what he said:
I’ve seen different people talk about how they save memes. Some people add them to bookmarks, some have special albums on their phones where they keep them. I just thought it’d be cool if we had one central place where all the memes were
– Kachi
If you do a Google image search for a Nigerian meme, most of the results you’ll find will be connected to a Zikoko article.
In other words, you’re welcome.
So with a couple of wonderful, hardworking tech bros (Kachi, OJ and Timi) and the amazing Zikoko tech team, we got to work and built this wonderful bank, library, resource — whatever you want to call it.
Here’s how it works:
Whether it’s for gbas gbos on Twitter, for responding to your Mother’s WhatsApp BCs or for shooting your shot, you can now find and download all your favourite Nigerian memes on memes.zikoko.com at absolutely no cost at all.
The best part
You know the best part? You can also upload your favourite memes on the site, so we can help each other, rest and save ourselves from memes that are not an accurate representation of the Nigerian and African experience.
Some of you asked, and we’re now making it possible to financially support Zikoko’s effort in making all the content you love. From bants that make long days shorter to stories that drive thoughtful conversations, people everywhere are turning to Zikoko, more than ever.
It’s a strong testament to how we think about the work we do – Zikoko is your friend. The one you can depend on to show you a world of stories that matter that you didn’t know existed, or quite frankly, tell you what type of cement you are.
2020 has been a weird year.
People and businesses are feeling the heat, especially media companies like us – no thanks to the Rona.
Still, we believe that the work we do is important enough that it must be protected at all costs.
It’s why we’re asking you to support the work.
By supporting us, you help us experiment more aggressively with new ways to keep making the content you love, and get to the heart of the issues you care about.
When you support us:
You get member-only emails once a month, a round-up of what we’ve been up to, and get a sense of what’s under the Zikoko hood.
You get first hand information on what to expect from Zikoko in the future.
We get to just, you know, love you a lot.
Our first mission.
We’re going full throttle on our Citizen category. In the past few weeks, we’ve been covering stories around the #EndSARS protests, SARS and police brutality. In doing this, we discovered the knowledge gap; citizens across Nigeria kept asking: what do these policies mean for us, and what should we be doing about them? This led to the launch of the Citizen category.
With Citizen, we want to educate, drive action, and amplify every effort to increase impact. We’re going to take everything we’ve learned making content in every format, and use it to pack the strongest punch. Learn more here.
We need everyone on board. We need you. For you, it’s a contribution and commitment; for everyone at Zikoko, it’s an act of solidarity, and in fact, an act of love.
Make a financial commitment to keep Zikoko zikoko-ing.
Let’s start with a random day: you’re in a car or a bus, on your way home from work. It’s late. You’re eager to get home, eat and unwind in front of your favourite Nollywood web series. It’s dark. The street lamps are dead (typical). You see the flashlights before you see them, the men in uniform. Your mind is still on food. “Hay God,” you mutter as they start to slow down your vehicle. You know what they want. You say a silent prayer. You start to hide your iphone. You watch as they cock their guns, these men in uniform, and listen to their harsh voices telling everyone to get down. You’re scared, thinking at once of the multiple things you’ve not done with your life, the uneaten pounded yam and white soup in your fridge, and how you can ask for help before it escalates. You imagine the Twitter hashtag. You shudder.
That’s our reality as young people in Nigeria and that’s only scratching the surface. Over the past couple of days, we’ve witnessed something groundbreaking in the history of Nigeria: young people of different tribes, different backgrounds, living in different cities, states and countries have assembled to protest SARS officers who oppress young people for simply existing.
In this time, amongst several problems, the problem of information has been growing and spreading sporadically. False information and fake news is flying around, while at the same time, the news of the protests eludes different sets of people including a chunk of the older generation Nigerian.
What did we do?
At Zikoko, we consolidated efforts to ensure that people were getting verified information at a timely manner, while at the same time providing updates and explaining the situation without the “grammar” that tends to exclude part of our people. We were (and are) providing updates on protest locations, telling the stories of people who have been victims and survivors of SARS brutality and updating our audience on government action. We have been trying to answer important questions: What happens when SARS is disbanded? Who has the power to disband SARS? and so much more.
But even answering these questions was not enough. It was good to temporarily solve an information problem, but what about the knowledge problem?
As an organisation that cares about the things that affect our audience, including how society affects their personal lives, we decided to bring you something bigger.
Enter, Zikoko Citizen: The Police Is Not Your Friend But Zikoko Is:
A long time ago, we were told we were the leaders of tomorrow. Ironic that the same people who ruled us then still rule us now. They’re our governors, senators, representatives and even president.
Here’s where it gets interesting:
As Citizens of a country, in this case, Nigeria, we have several rights and freedoms including the right and power to choose who our leaders are. We have the right to demand better policies and hold the people in power accountable. But how do we do this?
That’s where Zikoko, your friend REALLY REALLY comes in:
Before it even begins to become a problem, Zikoko’s Citizen wants to anticipate and find answers to your burning questions around governance and policy. Curious about what DaddyBubu or Wike or Sanwo is doing and how it affects you? — from employment to elections to health — Citizen will be on the beat.
Think of Citizen as a knowledge-hole. Everything you need to know, broken down, simplified, and visually compelling through the use of infographics and simple illustration.
Gbe body e, AKA action. One of the strong points of the EndSARS protests is that we first understood our rights as citizens of Nigeria — a right to life, a right to dignity, a right to freedom, amongst others — and secondly, we understood our leaders are to be held accountable. Using that knowledge and transforming it into something tangible as we’ve seen in the past few days is action.
Action comes in different forms: from protests, to petition to impeachment to getting your PVC so you can vote in elections.
Let us paint you another quick example: it’s 2023. You’re on social media complaining about how messed up Naija is. The elections are in a few weeks, you really really want to vote o, but to go and be stressing yourself for ordinary permanent voter’s card? Your consign no reach like that. You also don’t really know who the candidates up for elections are. You see their posters around, and you know some of them because they were in power when you were in primary school, but the information is too scattered for your busy self. Imagine a database breaking down all the information you need to know about the elections including how to get your PVC and voting centres close to you? Imagine all of this data available months before the elections! That’s what Citizen will do. It will make the long game easier in the short term.
Zikoko Citizen is that friend that will always help mobilize you to take action. You ask: There’s a problem, what can we do about it? Zikoko Citizen breaks down your options and explains what’s realistic.
You, yes you reading this. Citizen is for you. Whether you’re abroad oh, or you’re in the process of japa-ing oh, or you’re still here, Citizen is for you.
Why should you care?
Because you deserve a say in the way things work in Nigeria and it’s high time we exercise some of it. You feel me?
When should you expect Zikoko Citizen stories?
Monday morning, 9am sharp. As you’re drinking your coffee like this, or sitting in commute, irritated by traffic, there’s a Citizen story waiting for you.
And on Thursday by 9am, as you look forward to the weekend, there’ll be a new Citizen explainer patiently waiting for you to dive into it.
After all the long talk here’s what we’re saying: Citizen helps you understand the problem and how to take action.
#EndSARS: We’re joining the #EndSARS movement. You should too.
In late 2018, we published an article, Fifteen Things You Must Budget For If You Live In Nigeria. One of the compulsory things to budget for was Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS): ‘Settling police so they can release your friend they carried for no reason: They said because he was using an iPhone he must be a yahoo boy.’
When Alex* and his friends were stopped a few months later, it was for similar reasons: they had iPhones, had a nice car and were dressed a little too flashy for young men. This is one of many stories, documented and undocumented. It didn’t start in 2018, or 2017 — for a long time, we young Nigerians have had to negotiate our freedom, we’ve been told that our lives are worthless and simply existing meant that we were likely to die. Between 2018 and now, there have been several stories, several innocent lives lost for nothing and yet, our government remains mute.
Our homepage currently.
On October 3rd, SARS shot and killed a young man in Ughelli, Delta State. This sparked a fresh wave of tweets, protests and stories. The goal is the same across board: We want the government, namely Buhari, Yemi and his cohorts to do something and not just sit on their high horses; we want them to #EndSARS.
As a publication at the center of telling stories that matter, stories of young Nigerians and how they navigate life, we are standing in allegiance with this battle and making it our priority.
In the past few days, we have shared stories about the brutality young men and women have faced at the hand of SARS, we have published stories on the history of SARS, how the police is harassing protesters and reported news on the government’s inactions. Now we’re going to do more. For the rest of the day, we’ll be pausing publication of our usual daily stories. This means, outside of our Abroad Life flagship, there won’t be any other regular Zikoko articles or quizzes. We’ll be sharing only stories related to SARS — how you can help, where you can go to protest, what you need during the protest and other useful information. Through our social media platforms, we’ll also be covering the protest live. So follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more updates.
If there’s any information you think is important for us to cover ASAP, please let us know.
For 80 days in 2019, a bunch of rascals at Zikoko set out on a trip across West Africa by road. You already know the pitch; Jollof Rice is consistent across West Africa, even though it originated from Senegal.
The question that pushed us to the road is; if Jollof Rice spread across West Africa because of the people, what else did they carry with them wherever they went? What were they listening to?
You can believe this was the question that drove us to the road, or you can believe that we just needed an excuse to get Tomiwa and Chidi to give us a bus and money, then set us loose. Whichever one it was, it worked. Toke tried everything, the Jollofs, the drinks, and the soups. Kayode flew his drone and pointed his camera at literally anyone, and anything.
Captain Taiwo held the wheels through 10,000 kilometres of highway and mud. Tosin kept everything and made sure we were never short of French and food. Me, I just ate everything – or most. Between these, we met with people we’ll never forget, ate things that we definitely want to try again. Most importantly, we documented a lot. We kept a daily journal, took a ton of photos and collected dozens of hours of footage, you’ll find tiny bits on YouTube.
“When will the lockdown be lifted?” – The hours of footage in the drives.
For about the amount of time we spent on the road in 2019, we, along with the rest of the world, spent time in our homes. In between having the fourth lunch and endless video calls, the itch to do something about the never-before-seen footage became stronger. While we were on the road, we shared stories and reactions as we experienced them. Now, we want to give them an even better treatment. Here’s what you should expect:
10 themes, from food to sound, to people. 10 episodes.
A physical piece of the road for you to keep close, and never forget, and help you find your Jollof Road.
One more thing that we can’t tell you yet, but the world will in fact feel small.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing updates. We hope you like what’s coming, but this post exists to serve one purpose: We might be back from the road, but you haven’t heard the last of it. We just dey start.
We’re working hard to connect with you. That’s why when we saw the chance to bring Zikoko closer to those who appreciate us, we ran with it. We’ve created a set of communities you can join in order to be closer to the heart of what we do.
These communities offer you and other users a safe space to discuss topics that you care about: money, japa, women and men issues, living in Nigeria, health, sex and relationships. They also offer the opportunity to relax with games, quizzes and other activities. As a part of the community, you’ll be the first to know about our events, plans and all the other exciting projects we’re working on.
Members of these communities also get the chance to discuss with Zikoko authors and sometimes see what goes on behind-the-scenes!
Here are some communities you can join today:
The Zikoko WhatsApp Community: This was created for you, the dedicated Zikoko reader in mind. When new content comes out on the Zikoko website, members of the Zikoko WhatsApp community are the first to get it. Beyond this, It’s a cool community that is capable of connecting members with the best possible lifestyle opportunities.
Join this community to meet other Zikoko lovers like you.
The Zikoko Student Community on Facebook: If you’re a student, this is for you. The Zikoko Student Community, curated by students, is a haven of information on internships, after-school opportunities and career advice, relatable stories about student life and other issues revolving around life in uni.
Join this group to meet other students from universities all over Nigeria.
The Z! Universe: If you’re a big talker and love discussing and sharing your opinions on things like career, relationships, sex, money and everything African youths care about, this group is for you. Nothing is off-limits.
If you’re not big on communities and would just like to get the Zikoko stories you care about in your mailbox on a regular basis, then this is for you. We have a bunch of newsletters you can subscribe to:
The Zikoko Daily: Curated on a daily basis, the Zikoko daily brings you the best human interest stories, quizzes and listicles published on Zikoko with a dash of something small and personal from a Zikoko editor. Subscribe here to get 6 updates a week!
Money By Zikoko: Get deep insights into how money moves and be the first to get Naira Life stories with scoops that don’t make the main story. Every Monday by 8am. Click this link to get started.
Sex Life: The Sex Life newsletter is a weekly dispatch that curates content on relationship and sex published on Zikoko. It includes the flagship Sex Life story which you get to read before everyone else. Get this in your inbox every Saturday by 11 am.
What communities would you like to see in the future? Let us know in the comments.
We’ve come a long way since going live 5 years ago when we began creating amazing content and meme-ifying this corner of the internet.
In the past two years specifically, we’ve sustained an enthusiastic learn-as-you-go vibe while dealing with the struggles of an ever-changing media landscape. In this time, we’ve grown a lot as a team, experimented with a wide range of formats, and slammed an unhealthy amount of sticky notes everywhere we found room.
One thing has stayed the same: the resolve to create smart and joyful content for young Africans everywhere.
As a yay to our current streak, we have a range of things we’d like to share with you.
More than a facelift, we’re making sure that you can find everything you enjoy about Zikoko, easily. For example, the stacks will help you find all your favourite stories fast, from Sex Life and Abroad Life, to What She Said. Bringing Quizzes up means your binge is a few clicks easier to reach. And we’ve made the categories more defined.
About the categories.
We’ve grouped our efforts into a diverse range of interests. From defining the sacred art of chopping life to documenting a diverse range of human experiences, these are our verticals:
Inside Life
The life of every category begins here. You could call it an incubator of sorts. “So, it’s life as you know it,” Ope, our Resident General and Managing Editor, says.
“It’s stories that connect just about every fragment of life and how people live. Daily life. Relatable stories. Weird stories. How government decisions and activities affect real people as told by those real people.”
So it’s Astor’s weird takes on weird things. It’s Kunle’s ridiculous lists. It’s Boyin playing Citizen Vigilante. It’s Blessing, the newest kid on the block, crawling through here and everywhere else.
Pop
Daniel describes this as “our take on pop culture, from the music scene to Nollywood.” So, if you need some recommendations on what you should be listening to, this is where you come. You’ll find Astor’s reviews sometimes, and Daniel dissecting the music scene other times.
Chopist
“Everything that has to do with chopping life,” is how Toke defines Chopist. “Chopping life is simply living your best life.” From VRSUS to Jollof Road, this is where we’re exploring enjoyment.
Aluta n Chill
“Well, it’s this series where I reach out to students across Nigerian campuses, have conversations with them, and draw out stories about the student experience in Nigeria and for Nigerians,” says Toheeb.
Money
Hassan puts it this way; “we want to show how people make money, how they keep it or grow it, and how they spend it.” We’re ramping up on our path to helping you understand this money. Here, you’ll find series like Hassan’s A Week In The Life, or Naira Life.
HER
Here, the goal according to Toke is to “create relatable content for women across every demographic.” You’ll find everything about being a woman here.
Quizzes
Some days are for testing out your knowledge of the world, other days are for bants because really, you can’t kill yourself.
Behind all of these categories and stories are people working harder than ever to get every part of the engine moving forward. It’s the design team coming through poster by the poster. It’s the video team taking in last-minute edits, and editing videos from their bedrooms. It’s the engagement team trying new experiments, every day. Also, It’s the management team looking for money to pay our salaries. It’s our partners looking and
One thing is clear: everything Zikoko is today is a result of everyone who’s ever showed up to do the work, and keep us going. From that first editorial team in 2015 to the person taking one more quiz before going to bed.
We live for this.
The world is changing, and full of uncertainties, and while it might not be easy to predict precisely where the world is headed, one thing is certain:
We’ll still be here, making content, exploring formats, talking to young Africans everywhere, with all the ginger and joy.
P.S: Play around with the website, and leave some feedback; that’s how it gets better.
Some of you asked, and we’re now making it possible to financially support Zikoko’s effort in making all the content you love. From bants that make long days shorter to stories that drive thoughtful conversations, people everywhere are turning to Zikoko, more than ever.
It’s a strong testament to how we think about the work we do – Zikoko is your friend. The one you can depend on to show you a world of stories you didn’t know existed, or quite frankly, tell you what type of cement you are.
2020 has been a weird year.
People and businesses are feeling the heat, especially media companies like Zikoko – no thanks to the Rona. Majority of the money that fuels the work we do comes from advertising, and that has taken a serious hit in 2020.
Still, we believe that the work we do is important enough that it must be protected at all costs. It’s why we’re inviting you to be a part of this effort.
When you support us:
You get member-only emails.
It’ll not only help us keep making the important content that you’ve come to love, it’ll help us to experiment with new ideas and formats.
For you, it’s a contribution and commitment; for everyone at Zikoko, it’s an act of solidarity.
Make a financial commitment to keep Zikoko zikoko-ing.
Charitable giving is one of the five pillars of Islam, and in the month of Ramadan, Muslims are encouraged to share some of the blessings they have received with people who are less fortunate. However, the practice of giving charitably to those in need should not be exclusive to just the season of Ramadan or practiced by Muslims alone. For this reason, leading tea brand, Lipton, has since 2018 through its “Do Good” campaign been doing its part in giving charitably to people and also inspiring others to do the same by awaking them to what really matters.
As part of Lipton’s 2021 Ramadan Do Good campaign, the brand led the giving conversation through engagements on social media and activations in Mosques and Muslim gatherings in the North, Middle-Belt, and South West regions, where Lipton extended a hand of charity to those in need. People in these regions certainly felt Lipton’s charitable hand as over 68,000 fasting Muslims across various mosques got a chance to break their fast in a healthy manner with fruits, and of course, a steaming hot cup of Lipton tea! Lipton understands that asides serving as a period for reflection, the Ramadan season is also a time for acts of charity and generosity, and this is why Lipton is encouraging Nigerians to take their generosity from mere thought to actionable steps. Lipton believes that it is not enough to only think about doing good deeds; what is important is turning these thoughts into action and positively impacting the lives and wellbeing of the people around us. This belief is effectively summed up in Lipton’s #ThinkLessDoMore tag on social media. Through this campaign, Lipton has set a good example and hopes to do more for its consumers in months to come.
With over 68,000 people impacted by the Do Good campaign in just this year alone, one can only begin to imagine the impact this campaign will have in coming years. With the success of yet another Ramadan Do Good Campaign, Lipton has undoubtedly proven that it is not just a brand that makes wholesome beverages, but is also a brand that is committed to the overall well-being of people all over the world.
