For years, everyone has been taking panadol for Linda Ikeji’s headache. Why isn’t she creative? Why isn’t she on her own URL? Why is her blog UI, UX and U-anything else still not, uhm, intuitive (incredibly redundant question if bulk of her readers like her as she is)? Why isn’t she building a network of blogs with verticals everywhere? Why isn’t she standing on her head and walking the roads of Lagos naked?
In fact, someone wrote a whole article about why Linda is not successful because Linda is not doing the things the person would prefer Linda was doing.
After almost a decade of pioneering leadership, at her own time, and in her own way, Linda has finally made her next move. And it’s a giant move.
The gossipy parts of the story: she got a BIIIIGGGG 22-room office in Lekki Phase 1. Punch reports, with no background detail, that it cost over 96 million to refurbish. Which is probably not the case, but no matter since Linda can easily afford it. It’s a 10 million per year rent, which makes sense if its 22 rooms. And there is an unnamed source giving quotes that anybody working in Punch offices could have made up. But no matter.
The real issue: Linda is coming for EVERYBODY in EVERY SPACE in ONLINE MEDIA. She is launching an eponymous business network called the Linda Ikeji Studios – and under this will be advanced online media extensions including Linda Ikeji Radio, Linda Ikeji TV and Linda Ikeji Music, which is apparently coming for all of TooXclusive, NaijaLoaded and the daddy of them all NotJustOk all at once. She has also invested massively in manpower over the past three months since we at TMB discovered she had rented an office (decorated by ex-model Isio Wanogho, we also hear) in Lekki to ensure when she kicks off, she really owns the space.
It took her long enough to get here that the only reasonable assumption is that she is ready to go, because she has got all her ducks in a fine row.
In which case, if you’re a media entrepreneur looking to dominate any of these spaces: be afraid. Be very afraid.
And congrats Linda. This one is well deserved.
PS: See anything worth talking about on the ins and outs of the media business in Nigeria on TV, radio, print and online (could be news, tweets, photos, opeds etc) send us a mail on [email protected] titled TMB. Let’s share the insight together!
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