Content creators, digital marketers, influencers, skit makers and voice-over experts are some of the clichés used in categorising TikTok savvy Nigerian youths who have tapped into the resourcefulness of the app to gain global fame.
Through imitation, dance challenges, cooking and many other creative endeavours, these once relatively unknown young Nigerians have risen to fame with millions of followers and as such now represent notable brands in Africa and across the world.
Here are some of the content creators:
John Merry: @beeautygoddess
The Nigerian-Ghanaian boasts 3.9 million followers and has worked with many fashion brands. She rose to fame for sharing dance, lip-syncs and comedy clips on the platform.
The 21-year-old dark-skinned influencer has also won awards for putting out exciting content related to fashion and beauty.
Rodney Umeh: @r0dn3y_
Also known as Wisdom Man, Umeh has positioned himself for endorsements from big brands with over six million followers and millions of engagements.
His short, relatable and funny clips — imitating the classroom experiences and lifestyles of Nigerian parents — have found their way to other social media platforms like WhatsApp and X.
He is one of the leading content creators on the platform. With a background in drama club and church choir, it was easy for him to recreate excellent content that still continues to attract a huge following.
Chinye Elijah: @Crispdal
Elijah is an expert in slo-mo dance videos who has mesmerized his over 8 million followers with his energetic and professional dances.
Crispdal patterns his content with colourful backgrounds and breakdancing to popular music. Churning out amazing and exciting content for the past three years has earned him over 105 million likes for all his posts.
Maduakor Faustina:@berby_pickxy
The model is one of the most popular Nigerians on TikTok. Sharing sensual dance routines and flaunting her flawless beauty, Faustina has 9.7 million followers on the app.
Her content has accrued 93.2 million likes. She has also tapped the resourcefulness of her fame to deepen her connection in the fashion industry. She now associates and advertises for popular beauty brands.
Jerry Chuks: @SoftMadeIt
Chuks has gained widespread recognition for his dance and lip-sync videos on the app. He has also collaborated with prominent Nigerian artistes such as Poco Lee, Teni, Oxlade, and Phyno, thanks to TikTok.
The Festac-raised content creator has 4.8 million followers and 82.1 million likes for his posts. He is a member of The Geng, a prominent TikTok group comprising young and famous social media personalities such as Priscilla Ajoke Jo, Susan Pwajok, Maliya Michael, Eronini Osinachim, Chison Onwuegbuzia, Beauty Goddess, and Enioluwa Adeoluwa.
Peace Anpee: @purplespeedy
Born in the Gboko area of Benue, the content creator gained prominence for wearing purple outfits in her far-reaching videos.
Since joining TikTok in 2019 with the aim of becoming an actress, Purple Speedy has garnered 7.7 million followers and 143.6 million likes.
She now consistently pushes out dance and music content that has attracted attraction from several prominent Nigerians.
Notable Nigerians also benefit from TikTok
TikTok’s massive popularity globally has been attributed to its appeal to millennials and Generation Z
More so, the platform has been helpful in sustaining the fame of popular skit makers, like Broda Shaggi with 4.5 million followers, Sabinus with 4.3 followers, and Carterefe with 2.4 million followers.
Aside from comedy, TikTok is also a playground for soundbites from hit tracks and dance challenges. In 2021, Ckay, the Nigerian R&B singer, became global after his hit song ‘Love Nwantiti’ went viral and got over 1.5 billion views on the app.
As a result of the feat, the singer became the first African artiste to appear on Bloomberg’s Pop Star Power Rankings.
To further deepen its cause for financial liberation for creators in Nigeria, TikTok partnered with Wowzi, the African creator commerce platform to develop a pilot for the Africa Creator Hub, which is focused on inspiring and supporting creators through digital skills development.
During the graduation of the trained talents, which had some Nigerian youths in attendance, Boniswa Sidwaba, TikTok’s head of content programming in SSA, said: “the wealth of talent in Nigeria and Kenya highlights the great potential in the region. We hope to use the learnings and insights gathered from this programme to expand this initiative.”
In an interview with TheCable Lifestyle, Sidwaba said TikTok recognises “vital roles” music labels and independent creatives play in shaping cultural narratives and as such “we are committed to fostering a thriving ecosystem that supports and empowers these key stakeholders”.
Responding to a question on what TikTok is doing to partner with people in the creative industry other than music, she said the platform is “actively engaging with creators in diverse fields such as art, comedy, fashion, beauty, sports, entertainment and more by offering a dynamic and interactive space, we empower creators to connect with audiences and showcase their unique talents, contributing to a vibrant and flourishing creative community”.
“Our team that focuses on Nigerian creators is doing an incredible job and we see this in the content that lives on the platform,” Sidwaba added.
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