Grass to grace: Young Nigerian influencers who gained fame, wealth through social media
High unemployment and economic hardship have made many Nigerians, particularly the youth, more innovative, exploring the huge potential of digital technologies. Weekend Trust chronicles the journeys of some young Nigerian content creators who fought off poverty by riding on social media to monitise their talents. Poverty creates a web of shackles that could be so […]
ola of lagos
High unemployment and economic hardship have made many Nigerians, particularly the youth, more innovative, exploring the huge potential of digital technologies. Weekend Trust chronicles the journeys of some young Nigerian content creators who fought off poverty by riding on social media to monitise their talents.
Poverty creates a web of shackles that could be so difficult to break. Growing up in his Owode Yewa homtown in Ogun State, Waris Olayinka Akinwande was not only aware of this stark reality, he lived it daily for years. But at 19, while he was working as a cleaner in Lagos, he decided to wrestle it with all his might and break free from its grip.
Despite his poor background, Akinwande is an unrepentant luxury freak. He loves plush cars and likes to look and smell good. Some five years ago, he came up with the idea of filming expensive cars on Lagos roads and sharing the videos online. Though, his idea was incredibly weird, the slim, energetic lad wagered on social media. He was confident his content was unique and would be widely embraced in the long run.
Now famed as Ola of Lagos, 25-year-old Akinwande has become one of Nigeria’s foremost luxury and lifestyle influencers, landing endorsements from top auto dealers, realtors and classy fashion outlets back to back.
“When I was doing a cleaning job, I knew it was going to be like this someday, but I didn’t know it would be this quick. I started dressing well with my okirika (second hand clothes) and looked up to people like Davido and Wizkid, who dress well.
“In 2019, I just started doing my thing, despite the criticism and hate I was getting. Nobody was doing it. One day I just felt I needed to start posting [videos], and I opened an Instagram page,” he revealed in a recent interview with Channels TV.
“What keeps me going is passion; I love fashion and cars. I used to jump on a bike without cash in my pocket to chase expensive cars and film them with my old phone. I would even fight with the bike man because I couldn’t pay him.”
The big break
Just when he was contemplating quitting amidst the growing backlash his videos attracted on social media, the big break came. “That was in 2021,” Ola of Lagos enthused, when more people began to wonder, “Who is this crazy boy?”
He was in the middle of his cleaning chores one morning when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. He logged on to his Instagram page and to his amazement he found that one of his posts had garnered 15 likes.
“I kept posting and after a while, Tunde Ednut posted my video. He didn’t tag me, but I still kept posting. Another time, he tagged me and I started getting followers. People started reaching out to me to advertise for them.
“For my first advert, I charged N2,000, but the guy ended up paying N5,000. I was surprised because I was earning N17,500 monthly then from my cleaning job. That [N5,000 gig] encouraged me to keep posting my stuff,” he explained.
Akinwande reached a historic turning point in his journey to success when he led a fundraising campaign on social media to assist poor Nigerians like himself. His ‘first N1 million’ came from that effort, which proved to be a game changer.
“I raised N1.2m, shared N700,000 with people and used part of the remaining N500,000 to buy clothes and shoes. I used to wear slippers to do my videos. After a while, Tunde Ednut did N2m giveaway when he reached a particular number of followers and I was lucky to be the winner. That man contributed immensely to my success. Then I started getting million, million,” he said.
As a boy from the slum with a big dream to dine with big people at the top, Akinwade believes he has “to look good like them and fit in.” He may be right after all. The erstwhile slum dweller now rolls in the city with “big boys” like ace artist Davido and sensational spendthrift Cubana Chief Priest, excitedly living a life of luxury he once dreamed of—thanks to social media, the barrier breaker.
Rise of Kano controversial Tiktoker
Until she became a TikTok sensation in Kano, little was known of Murja Ibrahim Kunya. Born to Malam Ibrahim Kunya and Hindatu in Kunya village, Kano, the controversial TikToker was raised in a poor family and barely had formal education.
After failed attempts to thrive in Kannywood, Kunya turned to TikTok, sharing lifestyle videos that resonate well with a teeming population of “Gen Zs” and young women. She enjoys a remarkable presence on the social networking site, with over 1.8 million followers.
The platform not only earns her a decent income from posts, but also positions her as a brand ambassador for products and services targeted at youths, particularly in the northern region. For instance, several famous Kannywood singers have engaged her to promote their new movies.
However, her flourishing career has been put on hold in recent times. She was accused by the Kano State Hisbah Board of promoting immoral acts through her contents in violation of Sharia law and after several warnings, she was arrested and arraigned.
While granting her bail in March 2024, Justice Nasiru Saminu of the Kano State High Court barred Kunya from using her social media accounts until the case was determined.
“Any violation of the restriction would compel the Kano Commissioner of Police to arrest and bring back the Tik Toker to the court,” the judge held.
From struggling entertainers to top skitmakers
After bagging a degree from the University of Lagos, Obotuke Timothy Ochuko, well known as Sirbalo, was confronted with the struggle of navigating through Nigeria’s distressed labour market. After a stint in Nollywood as an editor and special effects director, he went into comedy in 2016 and consequently hogged the limelight in skitmaking.
From humble beginnings to stardom midwifed by social media, Sirbalo now has a large following on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook. He is also a darling to many brands that pay him millions of naira to market their products to a wider audience.
In February, the 32-year-old native of Ughelli in Delta State hit one million subscriptions on his YouTube channel, a milestone he celebrated by acquiring a G-Wagon worth about N300m.
Sirbalo, in a chat with Potpourri in 2023, revealed how social media had become a goldmine for many content creators, including him.
“I don’t know if skitmakers are billionaires or not, but what I can tell you is that there is a lot of money to be made from online platforms. There are criteria to meet in order to monitise your skits. Basically, we have two major sources of monitising content, which are Facebook and YouTube.
“But the majority of comedy skitmakers in Nigeria do not make the bulk of their money from Facebook and YouTube, though they remain strong sources. The majority of comedy skitmakers rely heavily on revenues generated through personal promotions, endorsements and adverts,” he said.
On his way to fame, Lawal Nasiru Bolaji, aka Nasboi, had a similar experience as Sirbalo. He is passionate about music, but despite giving it his all, he couldn’t break into the industry.
Instagram would later pave the way for the 32-year-old Osun indigene. Videos of him imitating Davido—a skit for which he was nicknamed ‘Low Budget OBO’ — endeared him to many netizens. Over time, Nasboi carved a niche for himself by consistently delivering hilarious skits to his ever-growing audience across social media platforms.
In an interview with the Bahd and Boujee Podcast, he boasted of huge financial gains from social media contents, dismissing insinuations that several successful influencers are “yahoo boys” (internet fraudsters).
“Yahoo is stressful now. According to the one that I know, you have to be awake every now and then. I know someone who made $33,000 off a video on Facebook,” he said.
Mark Angel is another content creator who fought off hardship, leveraging social media platforms to gain popularity and wealth. Born in 1991 in Port Harcourt, Angel aimed to become a medical doctor and was on course to achieve his goal after gaining admission into Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, to study medicine and surgery. Sadly, he dropped out of the university following the demise of his uncle, who was sponsoring his education.
Angel later travelled to India to study cinematography for six months. On his return to Nigeria, he began his career in Nollywood, but could not get stable-paying gigs in the industry. In 2013, at age 22, he began to explore YouTube, producing a series of comedy videos.
His brand, Mark Angel Comedy, received an award from YouTube in 2017 after reaching one million subscribers. The milestone made the brand the first Nigerian-based YouTube channel to reach that threshold. As the years roll by, Angel and his actors, especially the most popular among them, Emmanuella, continue to rake in fortunes from videos and ads.
In a cryptic post back in 2016, Angel hinted at remarkable progress in his social status, posing with a purpose-built off-road Jeep Wrangler, an SUV many believed he had recently bought.
“Some years ago, I never believed I would be able to buy a car, but look at me now. God has blessed me. I am snapping pictures with big cars. I can now walk into places where rich men park their cars and pose beside their cars,” he wrote.
About four years later, in November 2020, Emmanuella also unveiled a posh bungalow she built for her mother within a year. She was 10 at the time.