Toke Makinwa, Frank Donga tell their YouTube tales

As the world’s largest online video community, YouTube, celebrates its impact on the world stage, Google gathered some Nigerian stars to share their stories on the viral community.

At the #YouTubeHeroesNG hosted at Intercontinental hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, top Nigerian YouTube creators; Toke Makinwa, Olisa Adibua, Ariyike Akinbobola, Naija’s Craziest and TechCity NG came together to speak on how YouTube brought their dreams alive.

Toke Makinwa, an all round media personality, was regarded as one of the most consistent YouTube creators in Nigeria, following her feat of putting up a Vlog every Wednesday since 2013.

Despite the troubled waters on her home front two weeks ago, Toke was consistent with her Vlogs, saying “the show must go on”.

She spoke about the successes her Vlog on YouTube has recorded so far, noting that it has taken her around the world to touch lives.

For Makinwa, “her passion is the driving force but the money is good”.

Naija Craziest, known for satirical videos regarding burning national issues reiterated their experiences in the just concluded electoral process.

The team alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) approached them to run satirical videos against President Muhammadu Buhari but that they declined.

Kunle Idowu, better known as Frank Donga, expressed the shock he got from the reception of his Ndani TV YouTube video, A tale of Frank Donga-the interview, urging Nigerian youths to leverage the lessons from Donga and YouTube in employment generation.

Speaking at the event, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, communication and public affairs manager, Google west Africa, said the event was aimed at leveraging the 10th anniversary of YouTube to spotlight Nigerians who despite all odds share their content on a constant basis and build their own fan bases.

“Some people still think only highly trained individuals or people with access to funds can create content and run YouTube channels. It is our hope that by showcasing the inspiring work that these individual creators are doing, we are able to help inspire more Nigerians to begin to share more video content, with little or no start-up capital,” he said.

“Since the launch of the Nigeria domain www.youtube.com.ng in December 2011, YouTube has grown to become one of the top online destinations for Nigerians looking for inspiration and creative expression.”

Veteran broadcaster Olisa Adibua anchors “The Truth”, a channel known for interviewing headliners in the worlds of entertainment and politics, while TechCityNG focuses on review of gadgets and latest technologies.

Naijas Craziest’s channel extracts the comedy and satire from politics and other absurdities of life. They are best known for a remix of Patrick Obahiagbon’s Channels television interview and Patience Jonathan’s gaffe.

In 2014, YouTube views in Nigeria increased by 78 percent, while views of Nigerian content increased by 95 percent – a testament of to the role YouTube is playing in the export of Nigerian content.