Chude Jideonwo, host of Africa's leading conversation show #WithChude, and founder of Joy, Inc. and FourthMainland Creator Fund, has unveiled the 2025 edition of his annual list of The Most Interesting People in the Culture, popularly known as #TheJoy150.

Now in its sixth year, the Joy150 is Chude's carefully curated record of 150 Nigerians who shaped the culture in the past year, through courage, creativity, conviction, consistency, and community. The list spans media, film, music, faith, business, sports, technology, activism, and everyday cultural life, capturing both the visible icons and the quiet forces moving society forward.

Over the years, the Joy 150 has spotlighted cultural shapers such as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Funke Akindele, Burna Boy, and other figures whose work transcended moments and helped define eras.

At its core, #TheJoy150 is not a popularity ranking. It is an act of attention. A documentation of the people who defined conversations, challenged norms, built institutions, shifted narratives, and reminded us, often quietly, sometimes loudly, of who we are becoming.

The official release of the #TheJoy150 (2025 Edition) coincides with the final episode of #WithChude for the year.

See the full list below:

Temi Otedola & Mr Eazi: This year, Temi and Eazi didn't just get married; they shaped culture. Their tri-city wedding became a global cultural moment, sparking conversations about identity, tradition, and choosing your own name. Temi embracing "Ajibade" instantly became one of 2025's defining cultural statements: soft, powerful, and deeply intentional.
Segun Johnson: Segun Johnson is the new face of Nigeria's live-performance renaissance. From viral moments to a sold-out Toronto show and recognition from the Mayor of Brampton, he proved that authenticity still wins. In 2025, he transformed a 10-year grind into a global movement, showing the world what happens when energy meets excellence.
Blessing Uzzi (Freedom Way): Blessing Uzzi's Freedom Way travelled from Lagos to TIFF, then straight into Africa's awards season, collecting AMVCA wins and industry praise along the way. Through Bluhouse Studios, she continues to make films that confront corruption, youth power, and the meaning of justice. In 2025, she widened the space for socially conscious filmmaking in Nigeria. She is exceptional indeed.
Omoni Oboli: Omoni Oboli remains one of Nollywood's most resilient creators. Her film "Love in Every Word" shattered YouTube records, crossing 20 million views in just weeks, while "Wives on Strike 3" delivered major box-office momentum. Even in crisis, she showed mastery: navigating copyright battles, championing IP protection, and proving that Nollywood women are powerhouses.
Omotolani Tayo-Osikoya (Diary of a Kitchen Lover): With over 2 million loyal food lovers, DOAKL continues to reinvent what food storytelling looks like. In 2025, she expanded her culinary empire with global certifications, new creative series, and brand leadership. Her animated diary series and "Delicious or Disaster" made the kitchen both playful and powerful, turning home cooking into culture.
Gaise Baba: Gaise Baba made gospel history this year. His single "No Turning Back II" became the highest-charting gospel song on TurnTable in five years, and he didn't stop there. Through LightOut and ARAMANDA, he is building communities, shaping values, and proving that faith, culture, and youth energy can be in the same sentence.
Tobe Ugeh (Tobe SZN): In 2025, Tobe Ugeh became one of Africa's breakthrough creators, recognised by Meta and called to the Nigerian Bar in the same year. He is part storyteller, part cultural moodboard, and part lawyer. His work, from Substack essays to fashion-forward commentary, made him one of the clearest voices of a generation that refuses to choose between art and ambition.
OloriSuperGal (Tosin Ajibade): A decade after launching the New Media Conference, Tosin Ajibade remains a pillar of Nigeria's digital economy. In 2025, she celebrated ten years of shaping and elevating creators, while expanding OSG Media into one of the continent's most trusted storytelling spaces. She is a pioneer who built an industry before it had a name.
Wande Thomas: With Under the Influence, Wande Thomas redefined what Nigerian streaming storytelling could be. The Showmax Original became one of the year's standout shows, stylish, intentional, and piercing in its commentary on fame and identity. He has established himself as one of Nollywood's new-generation showrunners.
Ifedayo Agoro & Frank iTom: In 2025, Ifedayo and Frank turned their love story into a cultural moment. DANG grew into a deeper community for women, while Frank's visual storytelling continued to travel across digital spaces. Together, they created a new blueprint for partnership, one built on honesty, creativity, and shared purpose.
Eric Gugua: Eric Gugua has become one of the most compelling intersections of faith, creativity, and technology. In 2025, his Beyond Convention Conference gathered thousands, while CINC continued empowering Christian creatives. His voice, on stages, screens, and pages, reminded young Africans that purpose and innovation can live in the same room.
Chiedozie Aku, JYDZinc Studios: JYDZ Studios is one of the most exciting creative revolutions outside Lagos. In 2025, the Enugu-based hub became a sanctuary for filmmakers, podcasters, and culture-shapers, proving that world-class storytelling can come from anywhere. It is the South-East's newest creative heartbeat.
Gerald Umeh (OnlineHustleTV): Gerald Umeh continued building one of Nigeria's most trusted digital-entrepreneurship communities. Through OnlineHustleTV, he demystified affiliate marketing and online business for thousands. In 2025, his practical, step-by-step guidance helped young Nigerians find fresh pathways to income and independence.
Olalekan Fabilola (Masoyinbo): Masoyinbo became one of Yoruba culture's most joyful digital exports this year. Through games, quizzes, and playful competitions, Olalekan Fabilola made heritage feel modern again. In 2025, he didn't just entertain, he preserved a language.
Prophetic Laugh TV: Prophetic Laugh TV found the sweet spot between humour, faith, and everyday inspiration. In 2025, it became one of the fastest-growing Christian content communities, proving that spirituality can be light, warm, and deeply human.
Mr Bike Global: In 2025, MrBike Global continued its rise as one of Nigeria's most-watched youth-content channels, blending humour, social commentary, and storytelling. With hundreds of thousands of subscribers and hundreds of millions of views, the channel shaped the digital rhythm of a new generation.
Sandra Okeke: With nearly 3 million subscribers and over a billion views, Sandra Okeke stands at the center of Africa's fitness culture. In 2025, she expanded her influence with high-engagement routines, wellness content, and brave conversations about body image. Her channel continues to empower women to own their strength.
Onijekuje Lagos: Onijekuje Lagos made Lagos food culture exciting again. In 2025, their humorous "we eat nonsense so you don't have to" reviews amplified small businesses, spotlighted street food, and documented the city through taste. Their work continues to prove that food is one of Nigeria's purest storytelling tools.
Foluso Ogunwale (i-Fitness): 2025 marked i-Fitness's 10-year milestone, and under Foluso Ogunwale, it became West Africa's largest fitness chain. With new branches, expanding programs, and a deeper push for collaboration across Africa, he turned wellness into a movement. He is building not just gyms, but a culture of good health.
Bokku Mart (Adewale Adeyemi): In just three years, Adewale Adeyemi built Bokku Mart into one of Nigeria's most explosive retail success stories, with over 100 stores, more than 1,100 jobs, and a model that made affordability and sustainability a movement. Bokku has become proof that when Nigerians innovate for Nigerians, entire markets shift.
House Arrest Owambe: House Arrest transformed Lagos nightlife by turning the familiar Owambe spirit into a modern rave experience, colourful, communal, and joyfully chaotic. It has become one of the city's most talked-about cultural exports, redefining how young Lagos celebrates itself.
Dele Adeyanju (Agbaletu TV): Few storytellers hold memory with the tenderness Dele Adeyanju brings to Yoruba music history. In 2025, Agbaletu TV became a cultural archive, capturing raw, unfiltered conversations with Fuji and Juju legends. His work preserves not just songs, but the soul behind them.
Emma OMG: Emma OMG continued his reign as the king of joyful live music, blending gospel and Yoruba warmth into moments that feel like home. In 2025, as his family grew and his band travelled, he deepened his ministry of praise, reminding us that joy too is sacred.
Aniko, Group Therapy: With Group Therapy, Aniko created one of Lagos's most radical creative sanctuaries, a space where house, afro-house, and experimental sound become healing. In 2025, her movement grew into a full community: safe, expressive, and reshaping what Lagos nightlife can feel like.
Douglas Kendyson (Selar): Selar's quiet revolution continued in 2025, empowering over 240,000 creators and paying out billions in revenue. Douglas Kendyson built a platform where African creativity can earn, scale, and thrive, proving that when you give creators the right tools, they build worlds.
Davido: Davido's 2025 was another chapter in global African excellence, from international awards to a deeply beautiful wedding that captivated the continent. His philanthropy, generosity, and unstoppable artistry remind us why he remains one of Afrobeats' most beloved ambassadors.
Bucci Franklin: Bucci Franklin's performance in To Kill a Monkey became one of Nollywood's defining acting moments of 2025, raw, layered, unforgettable. This year, he stepped fully into his power, delivering a role that elevated the entire industry's expectations.
Ranks Africa Magazine: Ranks Africa revived the lost art of the magazine cover and turned it into a digital storytelling movement. Their platform spotlighted changemakers with striking visuals and data-driven stories, shaping influence, culture, and recognition for a new generation.
Tunde Onakoya: Tunde Onakoya's Guinness World Record in Times Square was more than a headline; it was hope. Through Chess in Slums Africa, he continues to lift children into possibility, proving that brilliance can come from anywhere when someone dares to believe.
Don Jazzy: Don Jazzy is one of those rare spirits whose brilliance feels both inevitable and astonishing. For more than two decades, he has shaped the nation's sound with a clarity of vision that never wavered, building artists from nothing into powerhouses, shifting the culture with quiet confidence, and turning Mavin into the blueprint the world now studies. And then, in 2025, something remarkable happened: the country rose as one to honour him. The Silverbird Extraordinary Achievement Award was not just a plaque; it was the nation acknowledging a man who has given us joy, discovery, and the soundtrack of our lives. He is living proof that when talent meets generosity and relentless innovation, the result is history.
Sa'eed Husaini: Sa'eed Husaini's research reshapes how we understand democracy, archives, and political movements in Africa. In 2025, his groundbreaking work digitising Nigeria's radical history and his new international research grant positioned him at the centre of Africa's intellectual future.
Kunle Oladeinde (The Library Lagos): The Library remains one of Lagos's most elegant nightlife experiences, seamless dining, curated ambience, and a club atmosphere that feels like a secret only those who know... know. Kunle Oladeinde has continued to build a hospitality brand that is both refined and deeply Lagos.
Opeyemi Famakin: Nigeria's biggest food critic had a defining year, winning Trendupp's Force of Food Content award while continuing to shape food culture with unapologetic honesty. In 2025, Opeyemi Famakin proved again that criticism is an art form, and influence comes from saying the truth boldly.
Gilmore: Through consistent storytelling and viral sketches, Gilmore remained one of 2025's most dependable digital entertainers. His work, From "POV: Agberos vs Public Transport in Lagos," to "New Takers That Just Entered Lekki," Gilmore's skits draw deeply from everyday Nigerian experiences, giving voice to youth culture, nostalgia, and urban tension.
Wole Soyinka: In 2025, Wole Soyinka's global influence was honoured yet again, from a Lifetime Achievement Award in Sharjah to a GCON from Nigeria. Even at this stage, he remains a tireless guardian of culture and conscience, speaking boldly for heritage, democracy, and the National Theatre's future.
Kingie, Poet: Mysterious, minimal, and defiantly off-grid, Kingie represents a different kind of cultural power. In 2025, his work continued to circulate quietly in intimate creative circles, reminding us that not all influence announces itself loudly
Odun Eweniyi: Odun Eweniyi's 2025 was a cascade of global honours, TIME100 Next, Bloomberg 50, HERtitude awards, and MOI nominations. As PiggyVest's co-founder and one of Africa's most trusted innovators, she continues to shape tech, finance, and feminist futures with clarity and courage.
Jade Ogbeh: Jade Ogbeh transformed Abuja's hospitality scene with the same elegance she carries naturally. In 2025, Living Room and Yellow Door became cultural landmarks, warm, modern, artistic spaces that redefined luxury and community for the capital city.
Kachi Benson: In 2025, Kachi Benson made history, becoming the first Nigerian to win an Emmy for Arts and Culture Documentary. From Mothers of Chibok to Madu, his work continues to honour pain, memory, and resilience with profound empathy. He is one of the great documentary voices of our time.
Nasiba Babale: With The Third Space and Poetic Wednesdays, Nasiba Babale has quietly turned Kano into one of the most interesting literary cities in Nigeria. In 2025, between Pickled Moments, KAPFEST 2.0 and her new role as creative director, she proved that poetry is not just to be read, it is to be lived in community.
Kano Book Club (Abubakar Muhammad Sulaiman): While others worry about "declining reading culture," Abubakar Sulaiman simply built a solution. In 2025, Kano Book Club expanded festivals, school hubs and monthly gatherings, turning books into meeting points and proving that curiosity still has a future in the North.
Spine & Label Books Abuja (Chigozie Obioma ): Spine & Label has become Abuja's soft beating heart for readers, calm, careful, beautifully curated. In 2025, with events like Nathaniel Bivan's readings and a growing community, it cemented its status as more than a bookstore; it is a sanctuary for stories.
Jazzhole (Olakunle Tejuoso & Olakunle Jr.): Jazzhole has been Lagos' eternal living room for culture, where books, vinyl and live sets meet in one sacred space. In 2025, with archival releases like Eroya and Asiko Tito and new listening sessions led by Olakunle Jr., father and son showed what it means to keep a city's soul on record.
Qudus Onikeku (John Randle Centre for Yoruba Heritage & Culture): Under Qudus Onikeku's direction, the John Randle Centre stopped being just a museum and became a living organism of Yoruba memory. In 2025, children's programmes, performances and residencies turned the space into one of Lagos' most important answers to the question: who are we?
Edmund Obilo: On YouTube, Edmund Obilo has quietly become one of the country's most important historians-in-real-time. In 2025, his long-form conversations on coups, constitutions and the forgotten corners of our politics gave Nigerians what the headlines rarely do: context, memory and nuance.
Elvis Dante Osifo (Lost in Lagos Plus): With Lost in Lagos Plus, Elvis Osifo turned tourism into storytelling, and the city into a beautifully written text. In 2025, themed issues like Movement and Rhythms and Reels helped us see Lagos and other cities not as chaos, but as choreography.
Sam Amuka-Pemu: At 90, Sam Amuka-Pemu received a national honour, C.O.N, but the real honour is the generation of journalists he formed. In 2025, the Vanguard founder stood as proof that a lifetime of ethical, people-centred journalism can outlive regimes, crises and headlines.
Olumuyiwa Olowogboyega (Notadeepdive): With Notadeepdive, Olumuyiwa Olowogboyega has turned newsletters into cultural events for Nigeria's tech and policy class. In 2025, as partnerships grew and independence remained intact, he showed that sharp, witty, honest writing can still build a sustainable media business.
Mai Shayi (Coffee Roasters): Mai Shayi took something deeply familiar, the Hausa tea-seller, and reimagined it as a modern coffeehouse for a new Nigeria. Its Abuja and Lagos spaces have become creative refuges, where local flavour meets global café culture over laptops, conversations and perfectly brewed cups.
Moronfoluwa Alabi & Eniola Olusoga (The 49th Street): The 49th Street made the Lagos scene look as sexy on paper as it feels at 2 am. With sharp covers, culture pieces and Tempo Lagos nights, Moronfoluwa, Eniola and their crew document music, nightlife and youth expression with a confidence that says: this era will not be forgotten.
Fu'ad Lawal: Fu'ad Lawal is saving a country from forgetting itself. In 2025, Archivi.ng deepened its digitisation of Nigerian newspapers and struck key institutional partnerships, making it more likely that when future generations ask, "What really happened?", there will be receipts.
Kolade Adewoye (Fusion Intelligence): Fusion Intelligence quietly powers over half of West Africa's cinemas, and in 2025, it crossed its 1,000th day of operation. Under Kolade Adewoye's leadership, ticketing and cinema tech became one more proof that "built in Africa" can mean "world-class and indispensable."
Iheanyi Igboko (Center for Igbo Memories): While many argue about culture online, Iheanyi Igboko is busy preserving it. In 2025, the Center for Igbo Memories expanded exhibitions, archives and collaborations that keep language, stories and heroes alive, ensuring that "Igbo amaka" is not just a hashtag but a documented legacy.
Kemi Adetiba: Kemi Adetiba spent 2025 doing what she does best: raising the bar. With To Kill a Monkey premiering on Netflix in July and King of Boys 3 announced for Christmas Day, plus a "Media Visionary of the Year" nomination, she reminded everyone that her name is now a genre.
Zinoleesky: In a year of noise and pressure, Zinoleesky did the one thing that always speaks the loudest: he released music. His debut album Gen Z dropped in April 2025, giving him his biggest streaming day ever and confirming that, beyond headlines, the work still cuts through.
Walter Akpani (Providus Bank): Under Walter Akpani, Providus Bank continued to act like a startup disguised as a bank. In 2025, the Amphi Card reimagined how SMEs pay and get paid, and Great Place To Work named Providus one of the best workplaces in banking, proof that innovation and culture can co-exist.
Jeriq: From the streets and markets of the South-East, Jeriq's 2025 looked like a permanent concert. With sold-out shows, roaring crowds and steady releases, he confirmed his status as one of the region's purest voices, proof that the street still decides what is truly popping.
BB Sasore: With Breath of Life holding the No. 1 spot on Prime Video Nigeria for 12 straight days, BB Sasore reminded us what a well-told story can do. Adding After 30 to the slate, he confirmed his place among the filmmakers quietly building a serious, thoughtful Nollywood.
Chika Uwazie & Eche Emole (Afropolitan): Afropolitan continued to imagine a borderless Black future, and in 2025, Chika and Eche pushed that vision deeper with the Afropolitan Podcast, Legacy and Mentoring. Between diaspora love stories, policy talk and entrepreneurship, they are building not just a network, but a new kind of nation.
Steve Gukas & Dotun Olakunri (Native Filmworks): Through Native Filmworks, Steve Gukas and Dotun Olakunri continued one of the most important missions in Nollywood: building filmmakers, not just films. In 2025, with First Features expanding and new projects greenlit, they proved again that the future of Nigerian cinema is safest in the hands of those who build talent like infrastructure.
Demola Ogundele (NotJustOk): Almost two decades later, Demola Ogundele's NotJustOk is still the heartbeat of African music discovery. The platform continues to shape trends, spotlight rising stars, and preserve Afrobeats' digital history. Demola reminded us of the quiet power of curation and the vision needed to keep a culture archived and alive.
Seni Saraki: Fresh off a Grammy win for his work on Bob Marley: One Love, Seni Saraki continued to prove why he is one of the music industry's most important behind-the-scenes architects. As NATIVE Networks expands its global footprint, Seni stood firm as part of the vanguard, carrying African sound to the world.
Ugo Mozie: Ugo Mozie styled Diana Ross at the Met Gala, a moment that echoed across culture because it felt like Africa entering the room with her. With Eleven Sixteen and major artist collaborations, Ugo continued to show how fashion becomes storytelling when an artist insists on narrative, not just clothes.
Hannatu Musawa: As Minister of Art, Culture, and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa made 2025 a landmark year, from announcing Lagos as host of the CAF Creative Forum to launching a $1m founders fund for creative startups. Her reforms signal a government finally speaking the language of its culture engine.
Adéolúwa Olúwajoba: Adéolúwa Olúwajoba's work in contemporary art feels like prayer, quiet, layered, spiritually attentive. With showings at Investec Cape Town Art Fair and Rele exhibitions, his meditative pieces continued to position him as one of the young artists redefining how memory and identity look on canvas.
Bolanle Austen-Peters: From Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti sweeping awards to BAP mounting more theatre productions in spite of every infrastructural obstacle, Bolanle Austen-Peters had another year of proof. In 2025, she reminded us again that she is not just making films and theatre, she is building a legacy, an institution, and a possibility.
Adenrele Sonariwo (Rele Gallery): Rele turned 10 this year, and under Adenrele Sonariwo's gentle but fierce vision, it now stands as one of the continent's most important cultural institutions. In 2025, with global exhibitions and a strengthened Young Contemporaries pipeline, she continued her mission: to place African art where it has always deserved to be, centred.
Chief Robert Orji (LIMCAF, Enugu): With Life in My City Art Festival, Chief Robert Orji has turned Enugu into a national canvas for young artists. In 2025, through workshops, camps, and a stunning "Humanity in Context" showcase, he reaffirmed that art can be both a mirror and a bridge, especially when nurtured with care.
Godwin Chiemerie Egbo & Chibuike Marvellous Egbo: These young actors gave Nigeria one of its proudest global moments in 2025, with My Father's Shadow premiering in Cannes' Un Certain Regard. Their performances were luminous, a reminder that the next era of Nollywood talent is already here and fully ready.
Alliance Française (Bella Adenuga): At the Alliance Française / Mike Adenuga Centre, Bella Adenuga continued to deepen Lagos' cultural diplomacy, hosting exhibitions, concerts, and language programs that bridged Nigeria and France. Her quiet stewardship has helped make the centre one of the most elegant cultural sanctuaries in the country.
Reni Folawiyo (Alara): With Alara, Reni Folawiyo has built far more than a store; she has built an altar for African luxury. In 2025, as global press spotlighted her work again, she reminded the world that African design is not emerging; it is established, rooted, and radiantly self-assured.
Julian Duru: Julian Duru retired at 28 after helping build Moniepoint's billion-dollar infrastructure, a prodigy whose work already powers millions of transactions. In 2025, as he prepared to launch an AI startup, he stood as a symbol of something rare in Nigerian tech: brilliance, discipline, and the courage to begin again.
Adewale Yusuf: Adewale Yusuf continued his mission of shaping Africa's talent pipeline. AltSchool, TalentQL and his other platforms expanded pathways for young Africans to enter tech with dignity and direction. He remains one of the quiet radicals building the continent's workforce for the future.
Yinka Shonibare: Across Lagos, London, and global residencies, Yinka Shonibare's foundation continued nurturing young artists with the kind of deliberate generosity that becomes a legacy. In 2025, GAS Lagos and its international programs reminded the world how one artist can change the architecture of opportunity.
Jahman Anikulapo & Toyin Akinosho (Freedom Park / CORA): At Freedom Park and through CORA, Jahman and Toyin have held Lagos' cultural lungs open for decades. In 2025, with LABAF's "Imagining Alternatives," they once again turned the city into a thinking space, proving that literature, music and politics can still meet under the same sky.
Frank Aigbogun: For over 40 years, Frank Aigbogun has insisted on journalism with spine. In 2025, fresh off a Lifetime Achievement Award, he continued shaping BusinessDay into a data-rich, people-rooted newsroom, mentoring the next generation the way only true elders can.
Azu Nwagbogu (LagosPhoto / AAF): With LagosPhoto moving to a biennial and In Brilliant Light showing globally, Azu Nwagbogu reaffirmed his place as one of the continent's most important visual curators. In 2025, he continued his lifelong work: making sure African images are authored by African eyes.
Onyinye Odokoro ("Baby Farm"): Through courageous storytelling and advocacy around infertility, Onyinye Odokoro's work has opened doors for thousands of Nigerian women to speak without shame. In 2025, her community-driven conversations continued breaking the silence around one of the country's most private pains.
Scott Iguma: In 2025, Scott Iguma stood firm in the storm, arrested, remanded, released, yet unshaken in his commitment to calling out the systems that fail everyday Nigerians. His voice, sharp and insistent, continued to push conversations on governance and justice into the public square, reminding us that critique is its own form of citizenship.
Somtochukwu Precious Monanu (Gossip Mill): More than a gossip page, Gossip Mill remained one of the internet's most potent temperature checks for Nigerian pop culture. In 2025, with viral scoops and endless conversation-starters, the platform continued shaping what the country laughs about, fights over, and pays attention to, a digital pulse point for the culture.
Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan: In 2025, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan forced the nation into an uncomfortable but necessary debate on gender, power, and accountability after her harassment allegations shook the Senate. Her subsequent suspension only amplified her voice, marking her as one of the year's most courageous and consequential political actors.
David Hundeyin: Still one of Africa's most provocative investigative journalists, David Hundeyin spent 2025 collecting nominations, citations, and global attention for his relentless reporting. Even in exile, his work shaped civic discourse at home, a reminder that truth often speaks loudest from the margins.
Dabota Lawson: Dabota Lawson carried Nigerian soft power to the UK House of Lords in 2025, representing an audacious fusion of beauty, entrepreneurship, and global influence. With international award nominations following closely, she continued redefining what it means for a Nigerian woman to build and shine loudly on her own terms.
Chef Gibbs: In 2025, Chef Gibbs became one of Nigeria's unexpected culinary ambassadors, presenting a national gastronomy strategy and unveiling Experience Nigeria 365. Behind the scenes in film, and now in global culinary circles, he continues proving that food, like story, is a passport.
Oby Ezekwesili: Whether at the NBA conference or global governance forums, Oby Ezekwesili remained one of Nigeria's most steadfast voices for accountability in 2025. Her clarity, moral courage, and unflinching truth-telling reminded a weary nation that leadership is not a title, it is a posture.
Shaffy Bello: Shaffy Bello glided through 2024–2025 with the elegance and boldness that have made her a Nollywood icon. With humanitarian honours and standout film roles, she continued evolving, proving that some artists are not simply performers, they are eras.
Joshua Selman: In June 2025, Apostle Joshua Selman received an Honorary Doctor of Ministry, affirming what millions already know: his teachings have shaped a generation's understanding of prayer, purpose, and spiritual formation. His ministry's quiet depth continues to ripple across continents.
David Oke: At just 16, David Oke stepped onto the AMVCA stage beside IK Osakioduwa and held his own, poised, bright, effortless. In 2025, he became the face of a new generation of Nigerian entertainers: confident, creative, and unafraid of big rooms.
Jude Bela: Through DeClassified, Jude Bela's forensic investigations into corruption and public mismanagement shook digital Nigeria. In 2025, his work, sharp, evidence-driven, and unflinching, positioned him as one of the most important new watchdogs in the media ecosystem.
Nora Awolowo: In 2025, Nora Awolowo's Red Circle, made with a collective of young creatives, announced her as a filmmaker to watch. With AMVCA recognition and new partnerships, she continued proving that the future of Nigerian cinema is already experimenting, already advancing, already here.
Linda Ejiofor & Ibrahim Suleiman: Through film roles, YouTube conversations, and their charming Due Parenting Pod, Linda and Ibrahim spent 2025 embodying a gentler story of marriage and creativity. Together, they reminded Nigeria that family can be both art and ministry.
Yemi Adamolekun (EiE Nigeria): In 2025, EiE Nigeria marked 15 years, a decade and a half of insisting that citizens deserve good governance. At the centre of it all was Yemi Adamolekun, still rallying movements, still speaking truth, still teaching us that civic responsibility is a muscle we must keep using.
Maryam Bukar Hassan (Alhanislam): Appointed the UN's first Global Advocate for Peace in 2025, Alhanislam carried Nigerian poetry to the world's highest diplomatic stage. Her piece "Peace is a Verb," performed at the UN headquarters, reaffirmed the power of art to heal, provoke, and reimagine.
Uche & Delight Aniche (#StartupSouth): Celebrating 10 years of #StartupSouth, Uche and Delight Aniche spent 2025 expanding the South-South/South-East tech ecosystem with funding, mentorship, and the region's biggest innovation conference yet. Their work remains a testament to what happens when local ecosystems are built with local love.
Rajaatu Muhammed Ibrahim (Chef Rajah): Rajaatu's 2025 was defined by leadership, charity, and culinary diplomacy, from YALI participation to global entrepreneurship nominations and her Ramadan food outreach. With partnerships from Meta to Maggi, she used food as both empowerment and service.
Kizito M Okparaugo (StKizitowLuxury): Through cinematic neighbourhood explorations and honest Lagos exposés, Kizito continued building one of Nigeria's most intriguing documentary-style YouTube channels in 2025. His work pushes viewers to look again, and often, to see for the first time.
Folagade Banks: Crowned Nigeria's No. 1 Male Skit Maker for the first half of 2025, Folagade Banks reached over 140 million views with his unforgettable characters. With award nominations and viral humour rooted in cultural nuance, he remained one of the internet's most joyful storytellers.
Priscilla Ojo: Priscilla Ojo gave the continent a cultural moment with #JP2025, a cross-border celebration of love that unfolded in Tanzania and Nigeria. Her unapologetic presence, from the fashion to the public defence of her husband's artistry, reminded us that a new generation of African celebrities is shaping fame with confidence and intentionality.
Adaeze Chineze (Nezeville): Nezeville has continued her ascent as one of Nigeria's clearest civic interpreters, translating complex legal and national issues into language that everyday people can trust. Her explainers remained fixtures of the digital public square, thoughtful, steady, and deeply rooted in service.
Uzor Arukwe: Uzor Arukwe spent 2025 deep inside Nollywood's most anticipated projects, trending off first-look clips and building momentum film after film. His consistency across genres has cemented him as one of the industry's most quietly brilliant performers, shaping cinema conversations with every new release.
BamBam (Bamike Olawunmi-Adenibuyan): BamBam has continued to evolve, grounding her post–reality TV journey in intentional acting roles and brand partnerships. Her presence across film and lifestyle content reaffirmed her place as one of Nollywood's most graceful and hard-working modern creatives.
Uche Montana: Uche Montana's career glowed steadily through 2025, with strong screen performances and growing recognition across award circuits. Her charisma on social media and on screen kept her firmly in the cultural conversation, a rising figure in Nigeria's new wave of actresses.
Jola Ayeye & FK Abudu: With every new episode of I Said What I Said, Jola and FK continued shaping how young Nigerians process culture, humour, heartbreak, politics, and everyday life. In 2025, their podcast remained a generational archive, a place where voices sharpen, soften, and learn.
Lilian Nneji: Lilian Nneji's vibrant praise ministry earned her the CLIMA Africa award for Outstanding Music Minister (Stage). Her releases across the year reaffirmed her as a powerhouse of joyful, energetic worship, lifting hearts across the continent.
Pelumi Deborah: Pelumi Deborah's voice continued to pour light into the year, as she rose as one of the most refreshing new gospel ministers shaping worship for a younger generation. In 2025, her heartfelt songs, intimate worship moments, and viral live sessions drew millions into spaces of tenderness and encounter. With a purity that feels both current and deeply rooted, she is becoming one of the defining voices of a new worship movement.
Pastor Dolapo Lawal: Pastor Dolapo Lawal's ministry has blessed so many lives. His YouTube blossomed in 2025, crossing 100,000 subscribers and drawing a global digital congregation. His teachings, earnest, simple, and accessible, reflected the hunger of a generation seeking faith in familiar, relatable language.
Rasheedat Ajibade: Leading Nigeria to a WAFCON victory and winning Best Player of the Tournament, Rasheedat Ajibade's 2025 was nothing short of historic. Her leadership on the pitch placed her among Africa's finest athletes and reaffirmed the power of Nigerian women in global sport.
Stanley Chidubem Anigbogu: In 2025, Stanley Anigbogu won the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year Award for LightEd, his solution converting plastic waste into clean solar energy. From refugee camps to rural communities, his work lit up lives, innovation as compassion in action.
Pastor Jimmy Odukoya: Jimmy Odukoya has stood confidently at the intersection of ministry and creativity, leading The Fountain of Life Church while maintaining a vibrant acting career. His authenticity, from his dreadlocks to his storytelling, continued to redefine what spiritual leadership can look like for a new generation.
Muyiwa Ademola: Muyiwa Ademola roared back into the cultural centre with Ori: The Rebirth, a commercial phenomenon that crossed ₦419 million and reintroduced a classic to a new time. In 2025, he proved once again that Yoruba cinema can lead: emotionally, financially, culturally.
Lawrence Oyor: Lawrence Oyor's 2025 was a year of overflow, his song "Favour" becoming the most-streamed Nigerian track on Spotify, embraced far beyond church walls. With collaborations and worship chants that went viral, he showed that spirituality and pop culture can meet in rare, beautiful harmony.
Leke Alder: Leke Alder has continued shaping Nigerian public thought with the precision of a master craftsman, from democracy lectures to national reflections. Cancer-free and deeply grateful, he spoke with renewed clarity about leadership, responsibility, and the future we must imagine together.
Olakunle Soriyan: Olakunle Soriyan's year pulsed with momentum, from NEXT365 forums to national innovation events with Microsoft. In 2025, he continued to merge futurism, spirituality, and strategy into a single invitation: to live with intention, intelligence, and prophetic imagination.
Pastor Nike Adeyemi: Pastor Nike Adeyemi spent 2025 amplifying her "Get Up" movement, a tender, practical call for women to heal, lead, and rise. Her blend of ministry, advocacy, and social care rooted her voice as one of the most relatable and necessary in Nigeria's spiritual space.
Amara Nwuneli: At just 17, Amara Nwuneli won The Earth Prize Africa for transforming abandoned Lagos spaces into green community hubs. In 2025, she stood as one of the continent's youngest climate leaders, reminding us that imagination, especially young imagination, can solve old problems.
Chiamaka Nnadozie: Chiamaka Nnadozie made history in 2025 as the first African goalkeeper shortlisted for the Ballon d'Or/Yashin Trophy, finishing 4th. Her rise is a beacon: proof that African women's football belongs not only on the continent's stages, but also on the world's.
Jesudamilare Adesegun-David (The Assembly EnnovateLab, Ogbomosho): In 2025, The Assembly became one of the most important creative and innovation hubs in Ogbomosho, gathering startups, artists, founders, and dreamers under one roof. With programmes, mentorship, and community at its core, it is building an ecosystem that feels both local and limitless.
Buchi Atuonwu (Kulture Yard): Buchi's vibrant Christian club, is redefining night culture for a new generation, proving that joy, music, and community can thrive in spaces anchored in faith. In 2025 it became a home for young people seeking clean, soulful fun, quietly reshaping what Lagos nightlife can look like.
Ayobami Emmanuel Alli-Hakeem (Anendlessocean): With a sound that feels like prayer wrapped in poetry, Anendlessocean continued to move the continent. His 2025 releases deepened his place as one of the most important voices in modern gospel, intimate, experimental, and spiritually resonant.
Adegoke Taiwo Yusuf (HistoryLover): Through HistoryLover, Adegoke Taiwo Yusuf has turned storytelling into remembrance. In 2025, his short, beautifully curated historical reels brought Nigerian memory into everyday conversation, making history accessible, emotional, and alive for millions.
Pastor Dr James Movel Wuye & Imam Dr Muhammad Nurayn Ashafa: In a year that demanded healing, these two giants of peace offered exactly that. Awarded the inaugural Commonwealth Peace Prize in 2025, Pastor Wuye and Imam Ashafa deepened their lifelong work of interfaith reconciliation, proving again that courage and forgiveness can rebuild nations.
Uyi Raphael Aisien: Beni City's celebrated mixologist continued to turn hospitality into artistry. In 2025, Uyi's craft cocktails and sensory experiences elevated Benin's nightlife, inspiring a new wave of culinary and beverage creativity across the South-South.
Ridwan Olalere (LemFi): Ridwan Olalere helped thousands move money with dignity and ease. In 2025, LemFi expanded its reach, simplifying cross-border payments for Africans everywhere, a quiet revolution in financial freedom.
Michael Sunbola (Lagos Food Bank): Michael Sunbola and the Lagos Food Bank continued to stand in the gap for the most vulnerable. In 2025, the organisation scaled its nutrition, education, and emergency relief programs, reminding us that compassion, when organised, can change entire communities.
Femi Aluko (Chowdeck): Under Femi Aluko's leadership, Chowdeck became one of the most inspiring hyper-growth stories in Nigeria's tech space. In 2025, the brand expanded rapidly, a testament to how technology, when built with empathy, can create jobs, convenience, and new ecosystems.
Otosirieze Obi-Young: Otosirieze Obi-Young deepened his influence as one of Africa's most important literary curators and cultural editors. Through Open Country Mag and his essays, he continued to spotlight new voices, document artistic movements, and defend the integrity of African storytelling. His work, equal parts criticism, curation, and care, reminds us that literature is not just written, it is nurtured.
David Nkwa: David Nkwa spent the year travelling across Nigeria, gathering stories that reminded us of our shared humanity. His 2025 documentaries celebrated ordinary citizens with extraordinary resilience, becoming one of the most heart-expanding projects online.
Farmer Kola Adeniji (Niji groups): Farmer Kola inspired an agricultural renaissance through storytelling. His partnership with Niji Group amplified innovations in farming and food processing, boldly reframing agriculture as a pathway to dignity, wealth, and national transformation.
James Damilare Solomon: Damilare's breakout performance in Suky cemented him as one of Nollywood's most exciting new actors. His emotional depth and youthful presence made him a rising star to watch closely.
Lily Afe: Lily Afe continued to expand her influence in fashion and beauty, merging elegance with commercial excellence. Her stylistic impact an<

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