Japhet Omojuwa and Linda Ikeji are names that cannot be strange to you if you are not an alien to blogosphere, especially the Nigerian space. While Omojuwa is popular in the world of the elites who are politically minded and interested in activism, Linda or Lindodo, as she is fondly called, is famous among elites who are entertainment inclined and particularly interested in Showbiz. Apart from the social media and elites similarities, these two sweet personalities are living enviably and ruling their world, doing that which they obviously love to do, doing it so well that an onlooker will bet it with his or her life that there is no big deal in what they do.
Personally I don’t think much of an activist before a friend, Folarin, prevailed on me to add @omojuwa on twitter when I complained to him about my timeline being boring. I was like, which kain thing be dis, an activist? But because I trust him I complied, then gradually I began falling in love with the man, Omojuwa on twitter, he writes and publishes different write-ups on divergent issues, from politics to economy, to sports and even entertainment, but much more than that is his out of this world sense of humour. This sense of humour I later came to realize happens to be the reason why I’m not a fan of many activists, as they tend to take life and things too seriously unlike Omojuwa.
For Linda, I can’t even remember how I got to know about her and her blog, I just know I became an addict, visiting her blog like 7 times daily, not just to know what’s up in the entertainment and showbiz world but also to laugh my head off reading funny and sometimes silly comments from LIBers, especially funny creatures like prince Charming and Bonario Nnags of those days, not the Bonario of now who don dey form responsible ever since he won N100k Christmas gift from Lindodo.
Over the years I’ve been able to come to a conclusion that what makes Japhet Omojuwa who he is and Linda Ikeji who she is, is one and the same thing and that to me is their unlimited sense of huour. Of course they are neither comedians nor jokers, but they’ve been able to master and manipulate humour to their advantage. Sometimes they shock you with unexpected revelation, such that you will ordinarily consider too personal to be published on a blog. I could remember reading on Linda Ikeji’s blog with amazement one day, while she was trying to describe a hot dude, that the guy is so hot that he could make any lady’s knee grow weak, herself inclusive if not that she has promised herself no sex again until he puts a ring on it…….you say is that not too personal? Or when she said she was considering buying herself a Range Rover Sports but her father has warned her against buying such until she’s married. She makes such huge jokes about her ‘singleness’ in such a way that makes you feel she’s your next door neighbor, to crown it all She come still fine join.
While Omojuwa might not be that personal, he is also not afraid of letting anybody know that he could be very “razz” sometimes. On a good day you expect serious stuffs, once you see his red faced profile picture but at times he shocks you on his timeline by reeling out some very razz lyrics on his time line or see him poking fun at some football games and so on, then you can’t stop laughing and wondering, so this guy too dey play like this.
Apart from their personalities oozing humour, these 2 phenomena also evoke humour effortlessly in the execution of their jobs. Omojuwa got me tripping sometimes in March this year when he led a very creative protest to the Nigerian Immigration office in Abuja to deliver coffins to them in protest against the unfortunate incident which claimed the life of 17 Nigerians youths, this however resulted in his detention for about 6 hours. Despite the incident being most unfortunate and very sad, Omojuwa’s sense of humour was still evidently obvious in that protest and it did not only prove to be effective, it equally stamps him as an authority in non violence activism. Likewise I believe none of us could have easily forgotten the famous #ArikWhereIsMyIpad saga in which our dear Omojuwa beautifully used humour to get what he wanted, all these gives credence to my submission that humour is the J in Japhet Omojuwa, a part and parcel of him.
In the same vein, Linda Ikeji will post some normal pictures with some funny hidden odd stuff and give us, her readers the herculean task of spotting the wrong thing. This has never failed to provoke laughter and smiles when after squinting for a moments, you discover something so unexpected in that picture. (I think she has a thing for bulges in the lower region (egg plants) so that’s the first spot I naturally check). Linda also has this way of humorously sparking up arguments and teasing her readers such that will make them want to spank her, and for you to know she does this intentionally she will always add funny stuffs like **covers face**, **runs away** to which you cannot but have a good laugh. Apart from these active techniques, she is also to be credited for her passive skills, like never being tempted to descend into the arena by reacting to insults and abuses from some of her readers who are too proud to convince themselves that they are helplessly in love with her and cannot do without her, why else will they keep visiting her blog. It is therefore not a misrepresentation to conclude that humor is the ‘I” in Linda Ikeji, an integral part of her person.
Ask any social media inclined mind around you, then will you realize the enormous influence these two sweet personalities have generated for themselves on the social media and beyond. Personally I respect them a lot, simply because they are ruling and reigning and much more than that they are living a stress free victorious life by taking full advantage of humour, it takes a very little effort to master but its benefits are immense. If you doubt me, go and ask Papa and Mama Ikeji, Linda’s parents, who got a duplex gift from their “jobless olofofo” daughter or the beautiful Miss Damilola, Omojuwa’s girlfriend, who got 18 Carat Diamond Ring engagement ring from her activist “trouble maker” fiancée.
Written on the 13th of August, 2014.
KAYODE ADENIYI ESQ. (AFOUDA SAMUEL)
(Legal Practitioner, OAP, Entertainment Practitioner & Humour Advocate)
afoudalafta@gmail.com
08162746129
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