Linda Ikeji, blogger turned media mogul, has announced she will launch a Netflix type streaming service for Nigeria called Linda Ikeji TV. The platform debuts next month, May 22, 2018. Before you read the statement she shared publicly with her fans on her blog, I must say I applaud her tenacity, determination, drive and focus to see her vision come to fruition. It takes a certain type of grit, and a “won’t quit, can’t quit” attitude to achieve all she has achieved, especially given, she is the sole financial investor in her ventures, according to her. Indeed, I have no doubt she will realize all of her dreams.
My only issue with Ikeji, however, is her claims about empowering women, yet deliberately casting and creating a narrative of the Nigerian/African woman that is nothing short of trashy with some of her soon to be released VH1 type reality television programs.
How does she reconcile that?
It’s different if these were authentically Nigerian/African stories. But, when it is a direct emulation of all of the things wrong with the west, and a direct exploitation of young Nigerian women, I wonder how she reconciles that.
I realize for Ikeji, the focus is primarily money. However, I hope she gives some serious thought to her responsibility to use her media platforms to positively and consistently influence young Nigerian women. This is only because she has been deliberate about saying that is her mission.
Ikeji’s occasional charity works to benefit poor women and even some of the positive programming she plans on releasing does nothing, in my view, to remove the long-term damaging effects (possibly for generations to come) of the trashy television content she is also introducing into the Nigerian space.
While many in a very elitist society like Nigeria will get immense pleasure thumbing their nose down at these women, these women will also become celebrities by virtue of displaying bad behavior on camera. Worse, there will be young girls who will want to be just like them. Is that Linda Ikeji’s idea of empowerment? Is it all about the money, first, and everything else second?
-Ms. Uduak
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Some of The Reality TV Shows that Do Anything but Empower Women
Ikeji’s recently released statement
“Hi guys, so in exactly one month from today, May 22nd, the online version of our Linda Ikeji TV channel will debut.
Why online first? Well, the world is online, so despite the fact that we are going to have a DSTV channel, having an online version of our platform was very important to us, mostly for our potential consumers who don’t live in Nigeria and have no access to cable in Nigeria, plus so many Nigerians who live in Nigeria also get their content online.
Bringing our amazing content to consumers all over the world, instead of being restricted only Nigeria, was important to me. We are starting with our Nigerian content but we plan to expand to other African countries, get their content and share on our platform.
We are hoping to be to Africa what Netflix is to the world. (They have 125million subscribers and made a profit of $11billion in 2017). Ouch! Lol.
When we launch in May, I hope you guys will come through for your girl and subscribe to the TV channel to watch all the amazing content we have put together which includes all our reality shows, sitcoms, TV series, comedy shows, movies and so many TV shows.
In the last one and a half years, I have spent at least half a billion Naira of my own money (no bank loan, no investors) to put this TV channel together (equipment, studios, manpower/staff, producing/buying content, rents, licensing etc).
I truly hope you guys will love and enjoy our programmes which includes Oyinbo Wives of Lagos, Gidi Girls, King Tonto, Toyin Abraham: True and Bare, Ajegunle With Love, Football Wives, Ex-girlfriends of Nigerian Entertainers, Made In Gidi, Magodo Mums and their single friend, Ice Prince: Rise and Grind, Annabel: My life as a former Nigerian stripper, Highway Girls of Eko (a show on real life prostitutes), Hot Topics, The Black Room, Aju Elumelu show, Leading Ladies Africa, Verified, Double Trouble, How Well Do You Know Me (A couple’s game show), Gossip Court, The Report Card, Bars (a show on the Nigerian hip hop culture) Phenomenons (interviews of some of the greatest Nigerian achievers), Classics, Igwe Must Hear This, The Paranormal House on Brown Road (a sitcom about ghosts), and so many other shows.
Plus we have quite a number of TV series/dramas & movies.
Gosh, can’t wait to unveil our channel on May 22nd.
Love to you all. Kisses
Linda”
Photo Credit: Ikeji Instagram
