Celebrity blogger, Linda Ikeji, has given birth to a baby boy.
The baby was born on Monday at a hospital in the US.
In a message via her personal twitter handle:@officiallindaikeji, the she said; “Oh dear Lord, I am a mum. Baby J is here! ??❤❤. He was born today 17th September. This is so surreal ??. Thank you guys so much for the love through this journey and thanks for all the well wishes. Love you guys! ???”
Media personality and blogger Linda Ikeji, will launch her online streaming service, Linda Ikeji TV on Tuesday, May 22, 2018.
The famous blogger disclosed this in a post on her Instagram, stating that she wants her new online TV channel to be African.
The 37-year-old, said she had spent over half a billion Naira of her money so far to put the channel together. She indicated that the DSTV version of her channel will be launched later in the year, but said the online channel which will reach the world instead of being restricted to just Nigerians who live in Nigeria, was more of a priority to her.
According to sources close to the famed blogger, subscribers will be charged monthly to watch all the unique content which includes reality shows such as Oyinbo Wives of Lagos, Gidi Girls, King Tonto, Toyin Abraham: True and Bare, Ajegunle With Love, Football Wives, Ex-girlfriends of Nigerian Entertainers, Made In Gidi, Magodo Mums and their single friend, Ice Prince: Rise and Grind, Annabel: My life as a former Nigerian stripper, Highway Girls of Eko (a show on real life prostitutes) and TV shows such as Leading Ladies Africa, Verified, Double Trouble, Gossip Court, The Report Card, Bars, Phenomenons, Classics, and TV series such as Igwe Must Hear This and The Paranormal House on Brown Road.
Linda indicated that her company, Linda Ikeji Media, has also bought quite a number of TV series and movies from independent producers which her subscribers will enjoy on the Linda Ikeji TV platform.
Days after the engagement of super blogger, Linda Ikeji broke the internet, the furor seems to be dying down, but that doesn’t seem to be the case for Mavin Record’s boss, Michael Collins, aka Don Jazzy.
In the past, Jazzy had somewhat expressed his crush for Ikeji, and shortly after her engagement hit the news mill, he uploaded a photo of himself weeping while his friends console him in a photograph that went viral on the social media. That was on Wednesday.
“Kai Linda is engaged. It is finished,” he wrote along with the crying emojis.
On Thursday, he followed it up with another photograph of himself wearing a knicker, captioned; ‘Throw back to when I thought my sexy legs would make her say “I Do”.’
Although he didn’t make it clear who he was referring to, his fans have been chiding him in the comment section of the post.
Jazzy, 35, had often joked about marrying Ikeji who is older than him by two years. The latter, on Wednesday, reportedly revived her love relationship with an unnamed old lover.
Sandra, Linda’s sister was said to have confirmed the news on her Instagram handle.
Sandra wrote on @sandra_Ikeji: “Congratulations @officiallindaikeji So happy sweet sis! This tells me that sometimes the wait is worth it. Can’t wait to plan your special day @eventsbysi are you readyyyy #itsagetaway.
Recall that Jazzy joked about proposing to Ikeji last year after Banky W and Adesua Etomi announced their engagement. He later said that he was not the man in Linda’s life.
Ikeji’s ex-boyfriend was said to have just relocated to Nigeria where the lovebirds decided to rekindle their love affair and got engaged.
Other celebrities have been consoling Jazzy in the same amusing manner, just as Peter Okoye who had earlier promised to fund his envisaged marriage to the blogger wrote: “And you just missed my sponsorship”.
The clip generated mixed responses with some people hailing Tonto while others condemned her.
SUCCESS, they say, is not a destination; it is a journey. The further you get, the further you want to go. That much is true for one of Nigeria’s most successful bloggers, Linda Ikeji. The queen of blogging is moving on to bigger and better things. Like a rich man who decides to take many wives while he still loves the first one, she is moving from blogging into mainstream media with the imminent launch of a new TV station, which is rumoured to be coming on DSTV anytime soon.
Already, Linda Ikeji Media has started functioning with several arms including Linda Ikeji Radio, Linda Ikeji Music, LIS, and Linda Ikeji TV, an online television station. At the launch, she stated that her initial dream of becoming a television presenter had given way to the reality of her becoming an employer of television presenters. And with Linda Ikeji TV set to make its debut on cable in the coming weeks, it is safe to say that Linda is living her dreams.
In line with the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent, the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD), on Sunday, March 25, unveiled its global list of honorees tagged; “MIPAD 100 under 40” in Lagos.
Held at Eko Hotel and Suites, the aim, according to the management of MIPAD, a civil society initiative, is to celebrate high achievers of African descent.
General Manager of MIPAD, Grace Singh said that the project is in support of the United Nations resolution 68/237 which declared the years 2015 to 2024 as the International Decade for People of African Descent.
“What MIPAD does is that it identifies and ranks high achievers of African descent in Africa and in the Diaspora, people that have made outstanding achievements. We look for people that are outstanding in the society be it in politics in government or in the private sector. What we are trying to do is to create a global network of people that have done great things. They can come together exchange ideas and think of how to move the continent forward. We will be doing it twice a year. We have a lot of people of African descent who do not know what is going on in the continent,” she said.
Delivering a keynote address, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Abike Dabiri, said that the MIPAD initiative is important in order to tell the stories of Africa by Africans themselves.
Dabiri noted that Africans in the Diaspora can help change the narratives about Africa and called on skilled professionals to play major roles in developing the continent.
Also speaking, Folusho Philips, chairman, Philips Consulting, commended MIPAD for the initiative.
Among the honouress were TV personality, IK Osakioduwa, super blogger, Linda Ikeji, Co-founder of Red Media, Debola Williams, Mark Okoye, commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget Development, Anambra State, Nigeria, Wael Ghonim, political activist, Egypt, Boglo Kenewendo, economist/consultant/member of parliament, Botswana, Aurthur Kalala Katalayi, advisor/ambassador/businessman from Democratic Republic of Congo, and a host of others.
From growing up in Idi Oro, a Mushin suburb of Lagos to owning a mansion in the highbrow Banana Island, Nigerian superblogger and former model, Linda Ikeji, admits that she has come a long way. OVWE MEDEME caught up with her at the recent launch of her new concept, Linda Ikeji Social, and she talks about her struggle so far.
10 years is a long time. How would you describe the journey so far?
The journey has been amazing. I didn’t expect to be here today because when I started hustling in those days, social media wasn’t popular in Nigeria. The first thing that I came across was blogging. And to be honest, when I started in November 2006, the last thing on my mind was that it was going to change my life as much as it has. It was just a place for me to be creative because I love to write stuff down and I didn’t think that ten years from now, this would happen. So it wasn’t something that I envisioned. It’s been an amazing journey, definitely something that I’m extremely grateful for. A lot of us are on social media but not everyone can say that it has changed their lives so tremendously. So I’m really grateful for how far I’ve come.
Before you started making money from the blog, were you not at some point frustrated?
So many times. The worst was definitely September 19 2010. It was my 30th birthday. I was broke, I was angry because I had been doing nothing for a long time and I was still struggling, I was still borrowing money. So I was extremely depressed and very angry with myself. I felt like a failure. I would cry a lot and then open my laptop to blog. I didn’t know that was where God was leading me to. And so, after my 30th birthday, my life really changed.
You’ve carried a lot of controversial news, particularly about artistes. What is your relationship with them like, especially Wizkid?
I don’t want to talk about Wizkid. To be honest, I have a cordial relationship with other entertainers. I’ve had run-ins with a few of them but in recent times, that hasn’t happened. It was when I was being carefree and careless with stories that I write. But apart from him, in the past year, I’ve not had a big issue with anybody.
How have you been able to manage it with all the threats that are thrown your way? Doesn’t that leave you scared?
The only person that threatened me was him. No it doesn’t scare me. I do more good for them than they acknowledge. Some of them are my friends, some of them have been to my house but the negativity that comes with blogging is fine. Some people will take offence, some will react in different ways. I’ve been doing this for ten years. If by now I’m not used to the backlash, then I should get out of the business.
From the feedback you get, do you feel loved or hated?
It’s a combination of both. I get a lot of hate and I get a lot of love. But I try as much as possible to hold on to the love and not pay attention to the hate because I know the hate is coming from a very different place.
Sometimes when I trend and I see some vile comments about me, I’m like, you’ve never met me, why are you saying these kinds of things about me? I’ve grown such a thick skin, I just look at it and I laugh. I know when people are frustrated and depressed because I have been there. I’ve been depressed and I’ve been angry and my anger was always towards those who are successful and when I say hurtful things about them, it makes me feel better. So I allow them that grace to just vent. I understand that success comes with a lot of hate.
In fact, that is one of the ways to know you’re really doing well. But of course, I get a lot of love. I get a lot of people who tell me that I inspire them and those are the ones I pay attention to.
Have you lost any valuable friendship because of a story you wrote?
Absolutely not; I haven’t. I’ve lost people who don’t agree with what I do but nothing valuable.
With this your new concept, don’t you think you are taking on too much at a time?
I’ve been blogging for ten years and I’m bored. I want to do something else. I’m 36, this is the time I have the energy and passion to run this. Besides, I’m delegating. I have a staff of over 30 people working here. So it’s not too much really. I think people try to limit themselves. I don’t limit myself at all. I feel like there’s absolutely nothing I can’t do.
You made a video on your birthday where you talked about a lot of things. Why did you do that?
I just wanted to talk about it. It was my birthday and I just wished I was married. It’s now that I want to get married. I don’t wish I was married earlier.
Are you saying you’re not getting proposals from men?
I’m getting quite a lot. People say that when you’re successful, men run away. It’s a lie. That is when they chase you the more. But unfortunately I haven’t seen what I’m looking for. It was my birthday and I just wanted to talk about it.
What are you looking for?
I keep telling people. It’s not that men are scarce. They are not scarce. The type of men that some of us are looking for are scarce. If I want to get married next week, I can. I want a man that I can look up to. Somebody that inspires me, somebody that will push me, motivate me; somebody who has had some success in his own career. I’m inspired by successful people. I can’t wait to meet someone like Tyler Perry.
Does that mean you can’t marry a poor man?
No, I can’t marry a poor guy and I’m being honest about it. He doesn’t have to be rich but let him be successful in his own way.
Have you had to review you standards when it comes to men?
When I was 30, my standards were extremely high. But I wasn’t really looking. I was just so focused on work because I’ve always been so ambitious. I wasn’t focused on marriage and kids and I felt like that would draw me back. So I wanted to just do my stuff. It was just recently that I started asking myself some questions. That I started thinking about it. Now, I have only three criteria.
What are the three?
He must be successful. He must be a good man in the sense that he has to be very supportive of what I do. If he tries to stifle me, I’m out. The third one, is the one that likes to eat groceries well (laughs).
Do you think you’re controversial or just misunderstood?
I don’t go out of my way to look for controversy. I think that maybe I’m misunderstood. People forget that blogging, even though it started as a passion, is now a business. There’s Linda the blogger and there’s Linda the person.
Personally, if I was not a blogger, there are some things I won’t pay attention to, because I don’t care. I have things to do in my life. But because I’m a blogger, I have to pay attention to little gossip. I have to pay attention to who is clapping back because my readers wants to see all of that. But personally as a human being, I don’t wish anybody ill, I don’t want anybody to fail, I don’t want anybody to cry or feel bad about comments. I think I’m misunderstood which is fine because people who are close to me know me and those are the people that really matter.
Kemi Olunloyo once accused you of benefiting from Dasukigate…
The reason I didn’t make an issue out of the Dasuki stuff is because it was overwhelming. I bought a house in Banana Island for half a billion and people can’t wrap their heads around it. They start thinking it has to be something shady. Up until the scandal blew open, I never heard about the man Dasuki. So I know I’m not guilty of anything.
When you get married, will you leave your Banana Island mansion?
I will move to the man’s house; as long as it’s not a three bedroom flat.
Why do you feel comfortable talking about your age?
I read somewhere online where they said I’m 42. Let me tell you, it’s so easy to know someone’s age. Just find out the year they finished secondary school. I finished Lagos Anglican Girls Grammar School in 1997. I was 16 going on 17. So if I’m 42, it means I finished secondary school in the 80s. The reason I talk about my age is because I was a model. In fact when I did my first show in 1998, I wasn’t up to 18. I had to lie that I was older than I was. I was 17 plus. How can I now be 42 in 2016? People already know my age.
NIGERIAN superstar, Ayo Balogun, aka Wizkid, will be going against sensational blogger, Linda Ikeji in the lifestyle category, Personality of the Year, at the forthcoming MTV Africa Music Awards. Other contenders in the category are Pearl Thusi, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon), and middle distance runner and Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya.
Wizkid, Cassper Nyovest, AKA and Sauti Sol lead the pack in the first round of nominations with an impressive nine nominations between them.
Fifty MAMA nominees including artists and achievers from 18 countries were revealed in nine key music and lifestyle award categories by Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa and MTV Base (DStv channel 322) at a star-studded reception at Constitution Hill, Johannesburg, South Africa.
At the front of the field is Nigerian star Wizkid with three nominations including nods in Best Male, Best Collaboration and Personality of the Year. Next in line with two nominations each are AKA (South Africa),Cassper Nyovest (South Africa) and Sauti Sol (Kenya).
The keenly contested Best Hip Hop category sees MAMA nominations for Emtee and Riky Rick of South Africa, who’ll be going head to head against Nigeria’s Olamide and Ycee, and Kiff No Beat (Ivory Coast).
An epic battle of the bands is in store in the Best Group category where Ghana’s R2bees face off against Kenya’sSauti Sol, South Africa’s Mi Casa, Navy Kenzo from Tanzania and Togolese duo, Toofan.
Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa stated; “MAMA celebrates Africa’s incredible young musicians and trailblazers by breaking down barriers, driving engagement, and highlighting the continent’s rich and abundant talent.”
The MTV Africa Music Awards Johannesburg 2016 is sponsored to by Joburg Tourism in partnership with Absolut Vodka and Google and in association with MTN and DStv.