by Wilfred Okiche

Media confers fame and many confuse fame with power. It’s not. These 10 bright young people on our power list have got what it takes to make things move and effect changes in their immediate space and they know it too.

We present the 10 of the most powerful young people in the media space.

Linda Ikeji: The queen of the online media is quietly morphing into the queen of all media with her plans to take over tv and radio quietly bubbling under. Her ubiquitous eponymous blogspot is the single most powerful source of breaking news and general information and has long gone beyond it’s humble gossip origins. She makes bank like crazy and does most of this without even leaving the comfort of her bed. Now that is power.

Alkassim Abdulkadir: The reigning Future Awards winner for journalist of the year, Abdulkadir has in the course of  his career, stared fear straight in the eye and conquered. He has worked with international power houses CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera  and CCTV as well as local news outlets like Daily Times and Weekly Trust. He is currently news editor of the fast-growing Citizens Platform.

Ayeni Adekunle: 35 year old Ayeni Adekunle successfully straddles the fine line between old and new media. He runs Nigeria’s biggest online entertainment platform, TheNetng.com as well as the weekly newspaper Nigeria Entertainment Today. He is also CEO, Black House Media, a PR firm managing industry leaders such as The Headies, Hennessy artistry and Viacom.

Dimeji Alara: The Editor-in-chief of the high end Mania magazine has been steadily on course, trying (and succeeding) to make Mania magazine the ultimate fashion Bible. With it’s beautifully blinding photography and up to the minute editorial spreads, it won’t be long until Mr Alara commands the clout of a certain Anna Wintour. Okay, maybe not Ms Wintour, but you get the drift.

Funke Adetutu: Is a journalist and columnist with Business Day newspapers where she rose through the ranks writing incisive features that betrayed her age and gender. She is currently editor of the Business Life magazine and runs a popular weekly column called Starters.

Olamide Adedeji: Any artiste – upcoming or established who has had the privilege of having their music video played on music station Sound City probably has Mr Adedeji to thank for it. Long considered the Man Friday to Mr Tajudeen Adepetu’s Robinson Crusoe, Adepetu’s job title is Group channel producer, Consolidated Media Associates, home to Sound City and ONTV and his influence looms large, deciding what videos and programmes to greenlight. Simply put, at CMA, he’s the man.

Ebuka Obi Uchendu: Hansome, astute, debonair and thoroughly professional, Obi-Uchendu has a background in Law but a love for the cameras. He made a grand return to television recently as host of the newly revamped youth TV show ‘Rubbin’ minds’ and has created buzz around the show not only for his good looks but also for the unflinching but friendly tone of his interviews. He is also published weekly on YNaija.com as a part of the well read Front page series and runs a blog on 360nobs.com.

Toolz: This vivacious, young OAP with a body to die for was born Tolulope Oniru but found fame with the moniker Toolz. She conquered our hearts from her base at urban radio station Beat FM before evolving her craft with the GTB funded web series, Ndani (The Juice) where she commands the presence of every A-lister worth their status. Her own website is currently up and running and it is a matter of time before she begins to run the world. It’s what talented girls like her do, innit?

Toyosi Ogunseye: A former CNN/Multichoice African journalist of the year (MSD/Health), Toyosi has shown uncommon dedication for her craft, going undercover to investigate stories that matter to her and rarely accepts no for an answer. A winner of The Punch Newspapers staff of the year (she was presented with a brand new car), Ogunseye was appointed Ag. Editor, Sunday Punch in January 2012 becoming one of the youngest editors in the country and is responsible for the weekly’s accessible aesthetics.

Uche Eze Pedro: Everybody goes to BellaNaija. It is so cool Oprah knows about it and CNN did a feature on it’s founder, the delectable Uche Eze Pedro. A bustling hub of lifestyle, fashion, entertainment and the occasional political dab, BellaNaija never loses it’s style and purpose – to be the arbiter of all that is fabulous in Nigeria. Mrs Pedro attracts the finest pick of young creatives – writers, stylists, photographers to create the industry’s benchmark and after more than 5 years, indeed everybody goes to BellaNaija.

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Age limit is 18 – 35