Even if you have a cursory interest in Nigerian media, you must have engaged content from Bellanaija in some shape or form. Pioneered by Uche Pedro, Bellanaija started as a way for a Nigerian student studying in the diaspora to stay in touch with the Nigerian entertainment industry, which began experiencing a resurgence, 6 years after the country returned to Democracy. Starting with celebrity focused news and red carpet event coverage and expanding to create mega sister brands in beauty, weddings, fashion and lifestyle, Bellanaija is arguably the largest organic media startup in the country. As such, everything they do makes news; like their #BellaNaijaAtHome programming which for the month of April essentially pioneered the Nigerian pivot to digital media platforms from offline events. Now Bellanaija is taking some time off to relax and reflect.
Why should we care that Bellanaija is taking some well deserved time off? Well, for starters, it suggest that the Nigerian media industry is finally catching up to global practices on rest, impact and targeted work. Nigerian media has a bad rep for overworking employees and chasing traffic with the fury of a thousand armies, and to see a brand as big as Bellanaija take a step back will give employees from media companies across the country the arsenal they need to demand better working conditions. Also, we will get a sense of the impact the brand has had on media consumption in Nigeria. It’s a data analyst’s fever dream. We are already excited to see how this will ripple out in the industry.
Now that Bellanaija is on holiday, where will you be going for your wedding fix?
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