“No man wakes up and prays for dem enemies to popo dem” – Omawumi Mgbele
For months the saga had been on, Nigeria’s most read blog will be yanked off by Google, it started like a rumour, one of those wash-wash stories, but like a rolling stone it began to gather moss, and finally the deed was done.
Accusations and justifications began to fly back and forth from the aggrieved Mr Aye Dee , to the “guilty” (word used without disrespect to ), Linda.
First, Aye Dee who was later unveiled to be Emmanuel Efremov a.k.a EE, accused Linda undoubtedly Nigeria’s queen of gossip of plagiarism (using the works of others without giving due credit.)
Linda reacted and this is what she had to say about the issue, “I admit that I take content from other sites. Plenty of it sef, but the question is, which website in the world doesn’t? If you go on Bossip.com, 50% of what is there is from other sources. Daily Mail UK takes from other sites, re-writes and give credit. UK Mirror takes from other sites. MediaTakeOut quotes other sources. E! Online, Us Weekly, People and even CNN take news from other sources and give credit, so why is mine an offense to the extent that my blog deserves to be shut down? Even in Nigeria, which site doesn’t take news from other sites? Which? That is how media runs. Perez Hilton makes $10million a year from blogging and 50% of content on his site is not originally his. As long as you give credit…which I do! Except in cases where you don’t know the original source of the story or photo. So many blogs take content from my site, how many of them have I gone after? In fact, I’m happy that they do so, I have nothing against it. If I take content from another site and they approach me to take it down despite giving credit, I will take it down. But that doesn’t happen.
Though, truth be told, most Nigerian news sites even the big media houses are guilty of plagiarism, one can put ones neck on the stakes that Aye Dee’s site (though not visited by the writer before) is also guilty of what it has alleged Linda, however, despite all, Linda’s argument was a little bit naïve, two wrongs don’t make a right, they say.
Yes, Linda erred, but…
Linda Ikeji and indeed Seun Osewa of Nairaland indeed “opened our eyes” (excuse my Naija phrase) to blogging the Naija style and they have been worthy role model.
Many people who lay claim to blogging today would not have even taken up blogging if not that Linda and Seun persevered and “hustled” till they made it blogging and running a forum.
Linda before her blog was taken down enjoyed cult followership, placing a wager that her readership was well into tens of millions of readers daily.
She was a hope to many, a succor to a lot, though it maybe be miniscule, she started this giveback project to her readers this year on a weekly basis, and think she was true and sincere to it.
Many have heard her rags to riches story, how as an undergraduate when she had no money she shunned the option of selling her body, and instead worked hard to rise above poverty.
In other climes, this ‘workaholic and inventor’ (permit the use of this two words loosely) would be more celebrated than she is, maybe she may have been given a national honour.
Yes a national honour (as in ) MON, CON, CFR and ilks, at least she spends a time inspiring others.
See what another A-rate blogger had to say about her:
Linda Ikeji’s blog was really deleted by Google. I thought this whole issue was going to fizzle out and didn’t know it was so serious. This is so SAD,and I mean it. Linda Ikeji’s blog did inspire me to start blogging .I feel like an important part of me is gone and I mean it.I was reading Linda’s blog since she started in 2006,when I would go to the cafe and i was so addicted that i spent most of my money on internet time ,because I was on her blog
She was the first person I emailed the very day I started on the 16th of August 2011.And she replied me. Prior to that she had featured me on her blog twice. As beauty of the day and on another occasion, compared one of my outfit’s to Rihanna’s. All these happened before i even dreamt of blogging .
In 2011,when I lost my dad and was bored, hated my job, couldn’t concentrate, all I did was write .So reading her blog ,i said “Why not open a blog and post all your stories there”It would be like an online diary .
I never expected to have readers,or to take it this seriously. So I mailed Linda, telling her I wanted to start a blog .She replied almost immediately and said she was so happy for me,and she added my blog to her blog list.
That did so much for this blog.Many readers discovered my blog from hers ,and here I am today.
Sometimes, it irks me when people try to compare and say Linda did this, why don’t you.First of all, when Linda was hustling as a blogger in 2006, I was still collecting pocket money from my dad as a 200 level Law Student.It’s not a competition.,I was inspired by her but made a decision to learn but never be a clone of her,imitating what she does because I want to be her.No one can ever be another person. You can learn from them and be YOU
I am still on Google platform because I said, if Linda can make it on Google platform, I can.Even when many told me, it’s virtually impossible to get a good ranking when you are still on a free hosting platform ,They said only 2 blogs using blogspot were on top 500 blogs in Nigeria.I took it as a challenge .And I was overjoyed to have broken that record in the top 100 as the 3rd blog using a free blogspot. This was all because of her .
I wanted to switch to my own website in 2012,I was discouraged not to because I was still building my readership .So I continued ,only to find out some smart person also took up the misspetitenigeria.com domain.So I chilled ..
If anything, this saga has taught me lessons …She says she would be BACK soon. Of course she will.
Ending this with the word of Emeh, yes we should all learn our lesson and do what’s right so that we don’t fall victim. As for Linda, girl you are a fighter, you will be the winner one way or the other, you are a conqueror, let them enemies hate, the LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH