Amazing throwback: 11 Most Influential Nigerians Under 20

4. Sheifunmi Yusuf – 19

SheiFunmi is a one-off: an independent-minded blogger, who calls himself a ‘gossip-journalist’, but he really doesn’t gossip. Infact, he has gone on to promote Nigerian and US musical artistes on his website, through series of interviews with celebrities and entertainment gurus. He has forged a strong and happy working relationship with Hollywood, as he is based in the United States of America. However you may want to put it, online, he is more popular than his contemporaries. But one thing remains, most celebrities don’t like him; still he gets to interview them, which shows a lot of commitment, determination and strong-will.

Sheifunmi is now a Public Relations Consultant & Multimedia Personality. He is the founder of Project Get Naked – an initiative that promotes mental health awareness and wellbeing among young people – and Popngoss, a pop-culture platform.

5. MoCheddah – 20

This lousy ranking of MoCheddah as number 5, just goes to show that it’s quality, not quantity that counts. She is sexy and speaks softly like a child, but that is not all. Her single, If You Want Me stole my heart and is on replay on my laptop. Sometimes I don’t understand what she sings, but as music beats to the heart, MoCheddah is my sweetheart and that goes to show how much I see her as a recluse. I actually went to meet her in person, specifically to know her age, which she quickly replied to: “I’m 20.” She is a fabled figure indeed, having released a debut album, Franchise Celebrity which fans love and critics are waiting to tear apart. But then, she is the beauty of the new generation and she is the reason why I believe that young female musicians can hold our breaths.

Modupe-Oreoluwa Oyeyemi Ola may not have dropped a hit song in years, but she has remained relevant in social circles. She is also a make up artiste/tutor and recently got engaged to her boyfriend of four years – Bukunyi Olateru-Olagbegi, an Ondo prince and younger brother of Gbemi, the Beat FM OAP.

6. Eromo Egbejule – 19

The most accomplished among all of them and one of the most respected young creative people today – by me. An introvert, a brilliant graphic designer and an engaging writer, Eromo Egbejule organized the “Nsukka Book Trek” in 2009 that preceded the 11th Lagos Book and Art Festival. His simplicity reflects in what he does, as he is a final year student of Bioresources Engineering at the University of Nigeria. He has done investigative journalism for the Guardian during the Nsukka Riot in January. His writings could be found online, as they are scathingly funny and straight from the heart.

Eromo Egbejule is now a journalist covering West Africa. He has been seen and heard on The Guardian, Ventures Africa, Premium Times and other media platforms. He was a recipient of the Prince Claus grant for culture and development in 2014 and is currently working on a documentary about the Nigerian civil war.