Charles Novia weighs in on Wizkid and Linda Ikeji's feud.


Filmmaker and critic, Charles Novia has weighed in on the feud between singer, Wizkid and blogger, Linda Ikeji. The attacks didn’t start yesterday. Both parties have been on a warpath for months now. Read Charles Novia’s thoughts on the furore.

Since yesterday when Linda gleefully posted on her blog that Wizkid got an eviction notice from his Lekki house, there’s been no chill from both sides.
Wizkid reacted with expected anger, calling Linda an ‘Ugly, Old Bitch nearing 40 years and married to her laptop’ . Ouch. He suggested that his Director friend slept with Linda in a hotel!
Having the Right of Reply, Linda fell for the bait and posted a reply calling to question Wizkid’s age and a story that Wizkid’s Porsche cars are on hire purchase.
As expected, Wizkid replied and went on a tirade of how her Pussy needs some cleaning and some other invectives. He listed the cars he has bought, including a G65 as well as four other cars and a house he just built for his mother. He warned Linda that anywhere he sees he, his 16 year old cousin will beat her up.
And the war continues. I have been following the updates with chuckles and much shaking of my head, even though it’s salacious and entertaining.
First, I think Linda should be advised. It’s evident to the discerning that she has a vengeful obsession with getting back at Wizkid and this has been evident since last year when Wizkid took potshots at her age and marital status, which prompted Linda to respond that she’s rich enough to buy any man she wants. ( I actually don’t think any account was hacked as explained then)
Putting up the post yesterday of the eviction notice given to Wizkid was perhaps an intuitive gossip obligation she felt she had to share, after all she’s a known gossip blogger. But it was tactlessly done and exposed an underlying beef which was waiting for an opportunity to get back.
Wizkid’s reaction was true-to-type. He’s a street kid. A Surulere or Ojuelegba product and he’s not expected to have any chill. Unlike Linda, who’s also from a poor background and has some understanding of the rules of the streets of Surulere, Wizkid is a supposed nouveau rich kid whose fame and fortune are grounded in the music of his streets. This means that while some measure of success demands some form of etiquette from Linda, now living among the elites, same us not expected ( even if demanded) from Wizkid.
The difference here is bohemie.
Wizkid is the epitome of the new age of reckless abandon of restraints and respect by his generation. He belongs to an era where he has power. His music is an influencer of moods. He’s danced to and listened to all across dance floors in Africa and beyond. He sways the minds of the twenty – somethings and teenagers. He can’t do wrong in their eyes.
On the other hand, while Linda is also a powerful media figure with much of her readers also amongst the young crowd, she has moved on to an aspirational lifestyle by the flaunting of possessions on her media space. While there might be nothing wrong with that, it’s also a strong reason for her youthful crowd to either be more enamoured with her, with the monthly handouts she commendably doles or they would inordinately harbour some disdain for her over this indiscretion.
The truth of the matter is this; don’t fuck with a musician in a war of words in this new age. Dele Momodu found out the hard way too late when Davido took him to the cleaners and even alluded to his ‘busy body’ tendencies in a song.
You see, with the massive following Wizkid has, all he needs to do is to go to the studio and record a new single calling out Linda Ikeji. It’s that simple. He could just put some lyrics on an ikworkrikwo beat and singing:
‘ Linda o, Linda. Old mama wey nor get Ginger…’
Or something in the vein of his insults to her as we have been reading.
Of course, shifting and shuffling feet don’t have any respect to a good rhythm. People will dance and that song would be stored in the annals of history. All Linda can do would be to keep writing ripostes which would not have any direct impact.
And really, if Wizkid loses steam and becomes a ‘has been’ tomorrow, that’s neither here nor there for him or his fans. He would be part of a vignette of Nigerian music history. He’s already attained some measure of legendary status among his fans in the young age. I will shock you. In the North of Nigeria, especially in Kano of all places, Wizkid is like a god. His music is loved by the Northern youths and Kano alone can shut down if the talakawas ever hear that Wizkid is performing there. I was shocked to find this out recently.
Such is the power of music in the present age.
But I would also advocate that Wizkid and Linda bury the hatchet. This beef is unnecessary, even if it’s entertaining some people.
Let’s all just get along, please.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, Aliko Dangote, Linda Ikeji others named in100 most influential Africans of 2015 list.

Nigeria President, Muhammadu Buhari, business mogul, Aliko Dangote, top blogger, Linda Ikeji have made the 100 most influential Africans of 2015 list. Compiled by New African Magazine, the list features 65 men, 32 men and the other 3 are groups of people. 
Personalities were drawn from eight different fields: 22 from politics; four from public office; 21 from arts and culture; 21 from business; 11 from civil society; nine from technology; seven from media, and five from sports. 
Other Nigerians included are; the immediate past President of Nigeria; Goodluck Jonathan, former UN Special Advisor on Post Development Planning, and current minister of Environment, Amina J. Mohammed; AfDB’s new President, Dr Akinwumi Adesina and UK MP, Chuka Umunna.

Opinion: Linda Ikeji's Mansion: Was That A Wise Decision? | By: Joseph Edgar

I have read the blog, seen pictures of the house.  It is truly a very beautiful house and well apportioned.  The pictures have done it great justice and it is truly a designers delight. Well use of space, good quality finishing and truly worth the over 800m pricing I have heard mentioned.

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But as I read her inspiring story, I begin to ask myself from a wealth management point of view if this is such a wise decision from this very brilliant and inspiring lady. As a wealth manager, I am looking at other factors far from the giddy factors she has mentioned to justify this status bending move.
As a financial adviser, I would not advise a lady at her age and background operating in such a fleeting industry to tie down such huge capital on one structure. A structure that she would be living in which immediately turns into a liability especially with the cost of running it, which would involve staffing, maintenance, taxes and fees amongst others. This is one expenditure that will keep taking from her and putting her under pressure to maintain or even increase her earnings just to keep up with the exposure. 

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If she ploughed in full cash into this purchase, this then is a real bad decision. At times like this cash is king. She could have taken out a payment plan not necessarily mortgage but a payment plan that would have freed up the cash that she would have used for other revenue generating investments which she would have used to be servicing this purchase. If she put in a down payment of say 400m and spread the rest over a 10 year period and used the balance to invest in other real estate within the Lekki and Ikoyi area where rental income comes in hard currency, she would easily meet the payments while still owning other real estate holdings. 
She is a blogger. It is the ongoing trend and like all trends may soon wear off. What now happens to the lifestyle if she does not diversify her earning capacity when this is all over? I give this trend another three years or five max and another new thing will come up and even if blogging still remains hot, what is the guarantee that her blog will still be hot at that age? She has to start preparing for those days by investing in revenue creating income generating activities.
By now she should be looking at shares and stocks in big firms like GTB and First Bank. Her dividends from these investments would keep her living like the Queen that she is. She should look at Treasury Bills, Bonds and also keep some funds in forex to hedge against the volatility of the Naira. Basically all I am saying is for her to start planning for the inevitable dry run when she would need liquidity and continous flow of revenues.
This is not to say that I am not considering the fact that she doesn’t have some sort of investments running, my take is that she has reached the income bracket where she would need to be working with professionals. Open what is called a ‘family office’ where the professionals would handle her investment decisions carefully planning her investments with the objective of ensuring further wealth creation and much more importantly sustainability. 
Our society is littered with lots of people especially in entertainment and media who are today living in penury after living large. Too many to mention names. The case of King Sunny Ade comes to mind. He is court with his record label looking for royalties since the 60s and this fight could have been avoided with careful financial planning and investments. This is not to say that Sunny is broke or didn’t plan well, the lifestyle is however no longer as flambouyant. 

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For her teeming Libers, you do not have to wait until you start making Linda’s kind of money before you get professional advise. You can start by working with people who would put you in a monthly retail plan. This would enable you to start working with as little as N10,000 monthly to grew and build a sound financial future. You too can get to Linda level without her astounding run of luck by simply planning and investment, working with astute advisers. 
My brotherly advise to Ms. Ikeji is to get professionals if she doesn’t have any just yet. Look for investments that would generate more income, diversify her portfolio, access more investment windows as the cash keep rolling in because like everything in life, it would not roll in forever.

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Joseph Edgar is an investment banker, he writes as a hobby and blogs at Josephedgarng.blogspot.com

Inside Linda Ikeji's newly-acquired property

The House
Side View
It is no longer news that Africa’s richest blogger, Linda Ikeji acquired a mansion at the most expensive neighbourhood in Nigeria – Banana Island, Ikoyi Lagos. The 35 year-old’s massive edifice is worth between N600-N800m. The mansion has 6 bedrooms, Master bedroom in penthouse, 3 living rooms, swimming pool, cinema room, kitchen, laundry room, to mention a few.

photos below
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The former model has paid her dues as far as blogging is concerned in Nigeria. Congratulations Linda!!!

Ayeni Adekunle, Tolu Ogunlesi, Linda Ikeji, Toolz, 6 others make Y!Naija's Most Powerful People in Media list

From the sweet, talented and beautiful OAPs to the hardworking and widely-acclaimed journalists and writers, here’s YNaija list of 10 Most Powerful People in Media under the age of 40. These are people who have not only made their own space in their fields but have and are still inspiring others to succeed.
Alex Okosi
Okosi is the Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Viacom International Media Networks Africa. As an executive, he made his mark by bringing by bringing the urban-music themed MTV Base music channel to Africa back in 2005. It was perfect timing; African music was at the cusp of a renaissance and the presence of MTV Base on the TV screens led to an explosion of quality visuals and great video content from artists. Okosi was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and his influence in entertainment circles is undeniable. Only recently, Nigerian radio OAPs were nominated for honours at the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and they probably have Mr Okosi to thank for it.
 
Ayeni Adekunle
Ayeni The Great started his career as a journalist working for the likes of Enconium and Vanguard but has evolved to become one of the most important media men this side of the Atlantic. His Black House Media group has worked with a range of important clients from Nigerian Idol and Nigerian Breweries to superstars D’banj and Ice Prince and he publishes Nigeria’s biggest entertainment website The NETng as well its weekly newspaper equivalent. In 2013, he convened the Nigerian entertainment conference that attracted the movers and shakers of the entertainment industry and business world, sparking dialogue and creating networking links.
 
Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi
No one has a presence on radio quite like Gbemi. Sweet, sassy and slighty tart, she has been working on the radio for over eight years and has quietly built a formidable fan base and listenership that has followed her from her days at Cool FM to her present gig at Beat FM where she hosts the Drive Time Show in the evening. A graduate of Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, Gbemi has also risen through the ranks to become head of programming at Beat FM’s sister station Naija FM. She is currently working on her upcoming television show.
 
Linda Ikeji
Everybody visits Linda Ikeji’s all powerful blog. It’s futile trying to deny, the Alexa rankings state otherwise. The blog has become the one stop shop for gossip, heart to heart dialogue, the occasional political commentary and yes, breaking news. Even the federal government is not unaware of the power of her platform, tipping her as one of the media partners for its centenary celebrations. She may do battle with a celebrity or two, but even they would agree that the publicity she offers is pretty much unparalleled. She generates millions in advertising but still manages to retain that girl next door persona.
 
Maupe Ogun
The television presenter and co-host of Channels television’s must-watch breakfast magazine Sunrise daily may be the only woman in the room most of the time, but she has managed to come across as one of the smartest. And articulate. And fearless. Always compulsively watchable, with her probing and unflinching questions, many an unprepared guest have been known to shrivel under her piercing gaze. Educated at the University of Lagos and the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, Ogun participated in president Obama’s town hall meeting with young Africans.
 
Mfonobong Nsehe
Nsehe’s prolific work with Forbes magazine Africa and Ventures Africa has resulted in the eventual recognition of previously under the radar Folashade Alakija as one of the richest people on the planet. As a staff writer with Forbes Africa, Nsehe’s brief is to profile Africa’s success stories and chronicle the lives of its rich and famous. Shunning the hype and the gloss, the Akwa Ibom-born journalist and blogger goes in to uncover the real picture.
 
Tolu Ogunlesi
Tolu is a two-time winner of the CNN/Multichoice African journalist of the Year, most recently in 2013 when he won in the Economic and Business category for his reporting on Eko Atlantic City. Ogunlesi once worked as a features editor for the defunct NEXT newspapers and his writing has appeared in various international media like The Huffington Post, CNN, UK Guardian and The Economist. He runs a weekly column on The Punch, Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper.
 
 
Toolz
Tolu ‘Toolz’ Oniru may get plenty of notice for her stunning physique but she has proved there is more to her than meets the eye. Bodacious, beautiful and brainy, she has parlayed her OAP duties on Beat FM into a position of power, being able to fast track or stall careers with her choice of playlist. Her other gig on the Guaranty Trust Bank sponsored Ndani TV is about to commence its second season and the accolades pouring in for that stint thanks to the probing-yet-breezy comradarie she exudes while interviewing her guests. Those skills translate from the radio to the small screen and her performance on the debut season of the X-factor Nigeria is sure to net her next year’s deal. Is there anything that Toolz cannot fix?
 
Toyosi Ogunseye
Ogunseye became one of the youngest editors of a major newspaper when she was promoted to editor of the Sunday Punch. She may be tasked with preparing the weekly but she still finds time to churn out powerful features like her three-part piece on the impact of gases released by a steel company on an upscale estate in Lagos state which won her a second CNN/Multichoice African journalist of the Year trophy, this time in the Environment category.
 
Uche Pedro
The now married founder of BellaNaija, the most popular lifestyle/entertainment website in the country has overseen the growth of BellaNaija from a single girl’s blog to mentions by Oprah Winfrey, CNN and a permanent home on internet web traffic assessor Alexa’s top 40 listings. Quiet, unassuming and loath to step out in public glare, Uche Pedro wields a lot of power as her site has been known to dictate the latest fashion trends, attract advertising mega bucks and corner the market on wedding photography.
Credit: Ynaija.com
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