By Adedayo Odulaja, Dayo Showemimo and Olamide Jasanya
Name: Linda Ikeji
Nickname: LIB
Estimated Net Worth: N300m
Automobiles: Infinity FX 35, 2008 Toyota Camry, 2014 Range Rover Envoque
Properties: A multimillion naira house under construction at an undisclosed area in Lagos
Achievement: Nigeria’s biggest blogger, one of Africa’s richest bloggers.
Nigeria’s leading blogger, Linda Ikeji’s popular blog was taken down by Google on Wednesday October 8, following allegations of plagiarism and copyright infringements levelled against her by Mr. Aye Dee.
The suspension of the popular blog, regularly visited by thousands in Nigeria and beyond daily, led to a trending discourse. From being Twitter’s most trending topic to being feasted on by several blogs and websites and finding its way to the pages of newspapers, the name, Linda Ikeji was on the lips of many.
The woman, Linda Ikeji
Linda Ikeji stands tall today as Nigeria’s leading blogger, a long way from the time she had nothing but her dream of becoming a top journalist which led her into writing fictional stories and imitating newscasters as a young child.
With a burning desire to get a degree in Mass Communication, Linda Ikeji could only study English at the University of Lagos but soon veered into modelling which eventually fetched her considerable success.
By chance, Linda was referred to www.bellanaija.blogspot (now bellanaija.com), and that she got interested in blogging would be an understatement because Linda became an ardent follower.
A few weeks after, Linda took her destiny into her hands by creating her own blog in 2007 and from getting less than 200 visits daily, her blog has risen to become the 10th most visited online platform in Nigeria today, according to Alexa’s ranking of blogs and websites in just about 7 years.
Modelling
While at Unilag between 1998 and 2005, Ms Ikeji thrived as a model and upon her graduation in 2004, floated her agency, Blackdove Communications. As a model, Linda became famous for her daring stunts – she’s notable for modelling with a snake around her neck, before going into a romantic relationship with American OAP, Dan Foster – which left a bad taste in her mouth.
Relationship and marriage
Many times, the 33-year old has spoken about her desire to get married but this may not be happening soon especially as she is yet to be romantically linked with any male since her affair with Dan Foster collapsed.
She has said money would not likely be among her criteria in looking at suitors, knowing few men outside the political, sports and mega business circles earn as much as she does. All she wants is for any man who wants to be her future husband to have a job and a measure of affluence.
Net worth
When asked in a BellaNaija interview a few years ago how much she makes monthly, she responded thus: ‘More money than I thought was possible,’ and that might have been apt, with industry experts rating her blog as a multimillion naira revenue generating enterprise.
She reportedly makes about N120m annually which comes from adverts rates, payments from Google, featured posts, picture posting and others saying, confirming this, she once replied to a tweet which implies she makes N20m in a year, saying: ‘More like in a month.’
Background
Born on September 19, 1980 and an indigene of Nkwerre L.G.A. in Imo State, Nigeria, Linda was born into a humble background as the second child among seven children. She was raised in a Christian catholic home and developed the love for writing at the age of 10.
As time went by, she is said to have developed even more passion for news, listening to news, watching newscasters, reading and watching interviews when most children her age would prefer a soap opera or movie.
It was from having to support herself through school that Linda started working at just 17, doing all sorts from being a waitress to ushering at events and even bar-tending.
She kicked off her modelling career in 1998 but gave up in 2005, saying she was too old.
Still speaking in the BellaNaija interview, she said: ‘I’d run off from lectures to a hotel and sell beer from 1 pm until 10 pm. I did this for a few months. It wasn’t easy at all, but I had to survive.’
By 2004, she had concluded her university education but laboured so hard to put a magazine together called FM & B, with the first issue published in 2006 but only two more editions were printed afterwards before it became a discarded project.
Blogging fame and fortune
The blogging episode of Ms Ikeji’s story started in 2006, following the her profiling on BellaNaija and Linda began blogging full time in 2007, sharing stuffs that fascinate her with her readers and after about five years, her blog developed into one of the most visited blogs in the country – luring readers with news bordering on entertainment, celebrity gist, gossip, human angle stories and more.
On April 25, 2010, Linda Ikeji published a book on inspiration, It Takes You, mainly on her story and with the aim of inspiring herself and many others, according to her.
Back in 2012, she said regarding her blog: ‘I was receiving like 200 visits a daily and for me back then, it was a great deal, sincerely. Now I’m receiving like 50,000 visits daily from about 180 countries around the world’ before adding: ‘I never for once even thought that I could make money from blogging. I didn’t begin blogging with the frame of mind that some day I would really make money from it. As a matter of fact, it never even crossed my mind. I never said to myself that, ‘ok let me start blogging now and maybe in five years time, I would begin to see the dividends.’ I never anticipated that it would ever happen at all. In 2008, 2009, I was placing free ads on my blog, I was the one asking my blog readers to please give me their ads to place in my blog for them free of charge. Now in 2010, people began asking me about my advert rates and I was like ‘seriously?’
She is also reported to have acquired a multi-million 5-bedroom duplex for her parents in Surulere, Lagos, all the money coming through her blog which boasts nothing less than 1 million visitors each month.
In August 2012, Linda was described as a success and a case study for the business of blogging by Forbes Africa and her blog is believed to gather a regular sum of over N10m every month from adverts placed by several brands.
Comeback drama
With her blog restored on Friday, October 10, 2014 after it was suspended following allegations levelled against her bordering on copyright infringements and plagiarism, which the blogger describes as ‘bogus,’ Linda is set to switch into a new lane of owning and running her own website.
A decision that is not just forced but which came at a price and although she has revealed Aye Dee as Mukhtar Alex Dan’iyan, an old social media contact whom she said had helped her many times in the past, the last may not have been heard on the matter.
But as things stand, Linda Ikeji is back on her throne as Nigeria’s blogging queen.
Quick facts on Linda Ikeji
*Linda Ikeji started working at the age of 17 to support her family.
*Linda Ikeji started modelling in 1998
*Linda spent only 7years in the modelling world after which she quit in 2005
*Linda floated a modelling agency and events management company, Black Dove Communications in 2000
*Linda started blogging in 2006
*Linda has 3 exotic cars, which include Infinity FX 35 SUV, 2008 Toyota Camry and Range Rover Envoque 2014 in her garage and a house under construction in an undisclosed area.
*Linda Ikeji is 34years old
*Linda Ikeji is the second child from a family of 7 with strict Catholic background.
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