Unveiling the 20 young celebs who made the Y! Magazine Annual Best-Dressed List 2012

Tastemakers & Trendsetters! Unveiling the 20 young celebs who made the Y! Magazine Annual Best-Dressed List 2012 The first ever Y! Magazine Annual Best Dressed List - inspired by the iconic Vanity Fair list of same name- has hit the stands.

This year, courtesy of the Y! fashion mavens (also known as the style editors), the magazine selected the top 10 hottest men and women to rock the trends scene throughout 2012. “Certainly, some of these names will be controversial,” said Doyin Jaiyesimi, one of the team-members. "But , great fashion is all about breaking the rules! This is our Best Dressed List after three months of spirited conversation—and we’d like to think we chose people who have represented Nigerian fashion to the nth degree over the past year.”

 These 10 gorgeous gents have rocked the red, yellow and blue carpets, influenced designers, driven trends and have become icons to reckon with in the world of fashion. They are Lynxx, D’banj, Mai Atafo, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Nateo C, Adebayo Oke-Lawal, Bez Idakula, Uti Nwachukwu, Wizkid and Dare Art-Alade. And the 10 ladies who have stunned us throughout the year are Yvonne ‘Vixen’ Ekwere, Genevieve Nnaji, Eku Edewor, Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Ugonna Omeruo, Tiwa Savage, Elohor Isiohor, Toke Makinwa, Linda Ikeji and Dolapo Oni. Why these 20? Grab a copy of Y! Y! is available in stores and with vendors in Lagos, Abuja, Port-Harcourt, Benin and Owerri. It is also available in all House of Tara Stores in Lagos, Abuja, Ilorin, Port-Harcourt, Benin, Kano, Ibadan and Kaduna and with Y! campus representatives in 19 states within the country. You can pay for the magazine with your mobile phone and have it delivered to you at no extra charge.

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For enquiries, subscription, advertising and back issues, follow @YNaija on Twitter or Facebook, email letters@ynaija.com, call 08173000001, or visit www.ynaija.com/magazine. HOW TO PAY WITH YOUR PHONE AND HAVE IT DELIVERED TO YOU AT NO EXTRA COST 1.  Go to www.pocketmoni.com and download ‘Pocket Moni’. 2.  Click on the ‘Send Money’ option and enter our phone number, 08173000001, and then enter the amount you want to pay us. 3.  You will be prompted to enter your pin, which would have been given to you on registering for the app, and click ‘Send’. The transaction is instant; the money will be debited and we will receive an alert immediately. 4.  Or you can click the ‘Bank Account’ option. Put in our bank details Ecobank 0052126539 and our phone number 08173000001. 5.  We will have the magazine delivered to you in Lagos at no extra cost! (Out-of-Lagos deliveries will include postal charges)

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POWER TO THE PEOPLE: BANKY W HEADLINES Y! MAGAZINE'S ISSUE 8; SPEAKS ABOUT FIGHTING CANCER AND FIGHTING FOR NIGERIA … PLUS INTERVIEWS WITH LINDA IKEJI

Singer and entrepreneur Banky W covers the hot new edition of _Y! Magazine_ - the 'Power to the People' issue that profiles the energy, passions, and activism of young Nigerians over the past few months.

"Across the world, the balance of power has turned over," said Chude Jideonwo, _Y!_ Magazine's Editor-in-Chief. "Beyond the Arab Spring, the Libyan revolution and Occupy Wall Street and the way that young people every from Europe to Malawi are driving the conversation, what anyone who is paying attention will notice is that power has truly changed
hands - people movements and pop culture have begun to play an even greater role than politicians and government, and those are the kinds of issues that _Y!_ chronicles."

In the cover interview, Banky W speaks exclusively and candidly about his battle against cancer, his activism, and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. "When I was about to be operated on by a doctor, he cancelled while I was right there on the operating table, because he was nervous about how far it had spread and if he was expert enough to deal with it," Banky W recalls in the cover story. "I think that's when it set in on how serious it was, because we then had to go from one referral to another trying to find the specialist who could operate on this particular strain of cancerous tumours. It was arguably the scariest time of my life."

This 8th edition also features an interview with 10 of the nagtion's brightest young people in the online space - including Linda Ikeji, Wale Adetula of The Naked Convos, Nmachi Jidenma of Cp-Africa, Ladun Liadi, Ike Orizu of MyTruSpot, Ediong Umoh of NigeriaNewsDesk, amongst others.

The magazine also features a recap on the major trends from and post the #OccupyNigeria protests this year with features, first person narratives, a full photo album covering Lagos, Abuja, Calabar, Ghana, South Africa, London, and the United States. "And of course, as usual there is a delightful mish-mash of sights and sounds from pop culture across the country," continues Jideonwo. "There are reviews and interviews on television, radio, music, music, theatre, hangouts, events, and an excitingfashion spread."

This edition also includes an exclusive interview with Member Hembadoon Feese, the young woman who survived the August 2011 bomb blast that tore through the United Nations building inAbujaa feature on the LifeHouse in Lagos, which just closed down, as well as features from across the country from Akure to Jigawa. It includes an'Everyday People' feature with five road-side beauticians and an exclusive interview with theMinister of Trade and Investment, Olusegun Aganga.

_Y! Magazine_ is the flagship of the Y! brand which, through pop culture, focuses on issues that affect and concern the informed and engaged young Nigerian. While focused on its vision to be the most influential contemporary culture force in Nigeria, especially for the upwardly mobile young person, Y!'s mission is to inspire thought, provoke action, and stimulate growth. Y! magazine is available with distributors and bookstores across the country, campus representatives across Nigeria, and all House of Tara stores in 22 states of the country. Details on this and subscriptions are available on http://www.ynaija.com/where-to-buy-y/.

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[Introducing the new YNaija Series: 30 Days, 30 Voices starting May 1 – See the Daily Line-Up]

Adebayo Oke Lawal

On the 1st of May, YNaija.com launches a brand new op-ed series called 30 Days, 30 Voices.

“Through this monthly series, YNaija.com aims to delve into the hearts and minds of a still evolving generation,” says Tolu Orekoya, Subeditor for Y!/YNaija. “We want to know what makes them tick; beyond politics, beyond the economy.”This follows the March launch of the highly successful YNaija FrontPage (a daily op-ed series on the site that has presented exciting voices on national issues from the perspective of young leaders)with seven daily columnists.

“As writers, as young Nigerian minds within our borders and beyond, they have incredibly rich and diverse stories to tell. We want other young Nigerians to get a sense of their experiences; what other topics they choose to explore, whether it spans the globe or happens right here at home,” says Orekoya says about 30 Days. “These are one-off contributions, and their pieces will centre on their personal experience: a profound occurrence, an opinion on events, reflections on life, living and so much more.”

30 Days, 30 Voices will be featured on YNaija.com every other month, with the following set occurring in July. See the full line up for May below.

The YNaija 30 Days, 30 Voices Line-Up

NAME	DAY
BoboOmotayo	Tues, May 1
Kehinde Shote	Wed, May 2
Ify Aniebo	Thurs, May 3
Festus Ekubor	Fri, May 4
‘Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi	Sat, May 5
‘Feyi Fawehinmi	Sun, May 6
Chika Uwazie	Mon, May 7
UcheUmez	Tues, May 8
Chioma Chuka	Wed, May 9
Adebayo Oke-Lawal	Thurs, May 10
ToyinFajj	Fri, May 11
Segebee	Sat, May 12
FunlayoAkinosi	Sun, May 13
Abdulkareem Baba-Aminu	Mon, May 14
Onyinye Muomah	Tues, May 15
Atom Lim	Wed, May 16
Tolagbe Martins	Thurs, May 17
Philsmart	Fri, May 18
SheiFunmi	Sat, May 19
Uche Ajene	Sun, May 20
ObinnaAguh	Mon, May 21
Xeenarh Mohammed	Tues, May 22
OmeyiYangs	Wed, May 23
AyodejiRotinwa	Thurs, May 24
Somachi Chris-Asoluka	Fri, May 25
‘Gbenga Sesan	Sat, May 26
AdaoraMbelu	Sun, May 27
Adebayo Omisore	Mon, May 28
Mfon Ekpo	Tues, May 29
‘Yemi Adamolekun	Wed, May 30

ABOUT YNAIJA.COM

On 1 January, 2012, the YNaija.com brand made the crucial decision to pivot and deepen its brand essence, aligning it with the Y! core vision already expressed by Y! Magazine and Y! TV’s ‘Rubbin’ Minds’—which is to focus on issues that affect and concern the informed and engaged young Nigerian. While focused on its vision to be the most influential contemporary culture force in Nigeria, especially for the upwardly mobile young person, Y!’s mission is to inspire thought, provoke action and stimulate growth.

Over the past three months, YNaija.com has gained the distinction of being an issues-compass—with opinions, editorials, features, analyses, commentary and essays that focus on the issues, debates and conversations that are front-and-centre for an aware youth population.

Leading this process are the YNaija FrontPage and the 30 Days, 30 Voices series. The FrontPage is presented courtesy of The Future Project&Debonair Bookstores.

Here are the pictures of some of the voices you will be hearing on the series:

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Abdulkareem-Baba-Aminu

Bobo-Omotayo

ChikaUwazie

Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi

Ify Aniebo

Mfon Ekpo

Sheifunmi

I hope everyone is looking forward to this series as I am. 

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Funke Akindele's the Boss Lady! As Issue 7 of Y! Magazine presents the 'New Establishment'

It’s an edgy and sexy Funke Akindele on the cover of the influential pop culture brand Y! Magazine. The actress holds centre stage for the magazine’s 7th edition as it profiles the most exciting ideas across Nigeria — in technology, business, education, fashion, development, entertainment, the media, governance and more.

“Funke Akindele is a public face and name who best exemplifies the trend of pushing the envelope and staying at the cutting edge,” says Adebola Williams, who is managing editor for the magazine. “Where Nora Ephron meets Tyler Perry, she has several created iconic pop culture characters using indigenous language. Her movies are continuously at the cutting edge and she has set upon raising standards in a way that is inspiring to a new generation of filmmakers and professionals across sectors.

“This edition is very dear to our hearts. We went around the country to look for the best ideas, the brightest innovations, the most cutting edge technology – young Nigerians who are doing amazing work across sectors and setting a new standard for Nigeria’s future.

There’s a feature on the exciting Co-Creation Hub, an arena that poolstalent, ideas and projects that are redefining Nigeria’s technology space; the Innovation Factory which is changing the way we see New Media in Nigeria; Student Circle which is revolutionising the way students across the country access knowledge, two young people who have found a solution to Nigeria’s power challenge and two deal web sites that are changing the way we buy and sell.

There is an interview with Idris Ayo Bello, an ideas factory who is responsible for Wennovation, Libraries Across Africa, AfyaZima, and The Next Cool Idea, a conversation with the three young men who run the path-finding Jobberman.com as well as an interview with the two young men behind the influential music website NotJustOk.com. The magazine also travels the country and discovers that the governments of Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Anambra are harnessing their young citizens and grooming them for global competitiveness.

Y! also interviews 12 young Nigerians aged 21 and below, and christens them ‘The New New Establishment’. They are already driving Nigeria’s future and include designer Adebayo Oke-Lawal, blogger SheiFunmi, Bookneto founder Iyinoluwa Aboyeji and Sokoto-based Ahmed Mukoshy who created the Yarnable website.

All of this is capped off with a delicious mishmash of pop culture highlights — including the ‘Signorina Vintage’ style shoot, Terrence Sambo exploring colonial architecture in Lagos, a feature story profiling the rise of the glossy magazine, interviews with Banky W, Kelly Hansome, Beat FM’s Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi, Soundcity’s Olamide Adedeji, Tinsel’s Gbenro Ajibade, and reviews of music, movies, radio, television, stage restaurants, gadgets and books from across the country.

“This is not the usual fare that you’d find in magazines – we have gone the extra mile to find a bouquet of the most impressive ideas from young Nigerians, who are now able to compete in a global economy. These are the guys who really own the future; these are the guys we should be celebrating. We’re extremely proud of what our team of editors has presented to our readers this issue – it’s a gift!” Y! Magazine is now available with vendors and stores across the country.

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ON THE NIGHT #HASHTAG BY YNAIJA ROCKED LAGOS

It was party unusual when YNaija in conjunction with Chocolate City, put together the first ever #Hashtag party which took place at the trendy Swe Bar on Saturday the 23rd of July 2011. The highly anticipated party was tagged The Convergence – an exciting melting pot of Fashion, Music, and Twitter - never before seen on the Nigerian scene.
The party was hosted by the formidable duo of the smooth talking Andre Blaze and the enchanting Oreka. Comedian Emeka Smith supplied an endless cache of jokes for the evening leaving the guests in stitches.

The Chocolate City boys, led by MI took masterful charge of the stage for the night with charged renditions of their hits. Ice Prince and Brymo opened the show, setting the pace for the night with their rendition of urban anthem ‘Oleku’ they were followed by Jesse Jags with his hit song
“Jago”. MI proved himself as the true Mister Incredible bringing the house down with an electrified performance of popular songs from his latest
album MI2. Efa and Praiz also gave riveting performances.

The #Hashtag party was focused on discovering stars in Music, Fashion, the new breed of social media stars. The music segment aptly tagged The Next Big Thing saw the unveiling of Obiora Ohatz better known as Runz as the winner. The fashion segment, Cutting Edge showcased designs by first runner up Tolu De Souza for her label SOUZA. There was also a segment to acknowledge the Twitter Persona of the Quarter, the result of a three-month poll on the YNaija website.

Celebrities and notable personalities such as Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, Stella Damasus, Nse Ikpe Etim, JosephBenjamin, Katung Aduwak, Tee A, Kunle of Rooftop MCs, Gideon Okeke, Ufuoma Ejenobor, Linda Ikeji, Praize, Inyanya, Audu Maikori, MI, Ice Prince, Jesse Jags, and many more posed for the cameras at the Red Carpet segment which preceded this energy packed event.

The popular TV show for young people, Rubbin’ Minds was live at the party and the winners that emerged at the #Hashtag party,artiste Runz, designer Tolu De Souza, and twitter personality Misi Ola were interviewed.

Speaking on the event, Adebola Williams, Managing Editor of YNaija said, “The #Hashtag party would continue as a quarterly event with more collaborations with big music labels. We are positioned to act as a convergence and point of exposure for hot new music acts, edgy innovative
fashion and the new breed of social influences powered by new media like Twitter.”

For the celebrities who flocked to the party, the event provided the unique opportunity to Pause, Tweet and Play. “It was a fantastic night of fun and networking. And more than ever, we’re looking forward to #Hashtag 2!” said Ifreke Inyang, who is an Assistant Editor with YNaija.

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Credit: Red Media

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Oreka, Denrele and Andre Blaze to host at #Hashtag by YNaija!

#Hashtag just got hotter. The Beat FM’s elegant Oreka Godis and talented compere and rapper Andre Blaze will on Saturday, 23rd July, 2011, rock the select #Hashtag crowd, as they have been confirmed as anchors of the exclusive event. The party, which will hold at Swe Bar, Victoria Island is the latest brainwave from the new high priest of Nigerian youth culture, YNaija. The show will also be anchored by the electric Denrele Edun, who will host special segments – guests will
find out at the party!

#Hashtag is aptly tagged ‘Pause. Tweet. Play.’ At the YNaija and
Chocolate City hosted party, Twitter is guaranteed to come to life in an evening of fine entertainment and great company.

“It's a great excuse to unwind, network and connect, but prepare to be
dazzled by the electrifying ambience and stellar performances from the
Choc Boys and other first-rate performers,” said Ifreke Inyang,
Assistant Editor of YNaija. "One question - have you been invited?"

More than ever we’re looking forward to the #Hashtag party! Pause. Tweet. Play.

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Toolz and Oreka to host at #Hashtag by YNaija & Chocolate City

#Hashtag just got hotter. The stunning and elegant Beat FM duo, Toolz and Oreka will on Saturday, 23rd July, 2011, rock the select #Hashtag crowd as they have been confirmed as anchors of the exclusive event. The party, which will hold at Swe Bar, Victoria Island is the latest brainwave from the new high priest of Nigerian youth culture, YNaija.

#Hashtag is aptly tagged ‘Pause. Tweet. Play.’ At the YNaija and Chocolate City hosted party, Twitter is guaranteed to come to life in an evening of fine entertainment and great company. “Prepare to be dazzled by the electrifying ambience and stellar performances from the Choc Boys and other first-rate performers,” said Ifreke Inyang, Assistant Editor of YNaija.

More than ever we’re looking forward to the #Hashtag party. Pause. Tweet.
Play.

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