… Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Seun Anikulapo-Kuti, Stella Damascus and Eldee also join team

Y!, the influential youth culture brand strung across TV, radio, print and online, has announced a brand new project on its popular portal www.ynaija.com – the YNaija Frontpage.

The YNaija Frontpage is a daily op-ed series on the sites front-end that will present exciting voices on national issues, from the perspective of young leaders. Taking direct inspiration from the wildly popular Thisday BackPage, it will provide informed, authoritative opinions on current issues in a way that guides and/or influences a generation interested in a Nigeria that works.

“On January 1 the YNaija.com brand made a crucial pivot to deepen its brand essence and align 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,” said its editor, Rachel Ogbu. “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. The response to this pivot has been uniformly positive, as well as 100 per cent effective.”

Over the past two months, YNaija.com has distinctly become known as an issues-compass – with opinion, editorials, features, analysis, commentary and essays that focus on the issues, debates and conversations that are boiler-plate for a now-aware youth population.

The columnists for the Daily YNaija Frontpage will be presented from Monday – Sunday in the order below:

Monday – Tolu Ogunlesi

Tuesday – Iyinoluwa Aboyeji

Wednesday – Japheth Omojuwa

Thursday – Akintunde Oyebode

Friday – Kathleen Ndongmo

Saturday – Temie Giwa

Sunday – Ebuka Obi-Uchendu

There will also be syndication on the popular blog www.cp-africa.com 24 hours after the articles are published on YNaija.com.

The YNaija Frontpage columnists join a stellar cast of thinkers already writing regularly for YNaija.com that include Chude Jideonwo, ‘Gbenga Sesan, Amara Nwakpa Joy Bewaji, Ferdinand Adimefe, amongst others. Also joining the impressive list of columnists for YNaija.com are Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde, Stella Damasus, Seun Anikulapo-Kuti and Lanre Dabiri (Eldee da Don).

“As the nation moves towards 2015, this is a series that will benefit the youth population and help empower the young people who need to be equipped on the issues,” Ogbu said. “As we continue to be the go-to for informed opinion in the youth segment, we are confident that the FrontPage will become a reference point for national debate and the authentic guide to the perspective of a new generation of leaders.”

The YNaija Frontpage series begins on Monday, March 5, 2012 on www.ynaija.com.

PROFILES

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji | On Leaders and Company

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji is CEO of Bookneto, a student focused education technology company based in Canada. In 2008, he worked as an intern at the Settlement and Integration Services Organization in Hamilton and then went on to work with the World Youth Alliance at the UN Headquarters in New York as an intern. Shortly before founding Bookneto, he served as the President of one of Canada’s largest student publishing companies, Imprint Publications.

Kathleen Ndongmo | Kathleen Ndogmo

Interest-generating, message communicating. Explaining, informing without being boring. Conceptual thinking, black coffee drinking. Condensing, expanding, real understanding. Slogan reinventing, blogging and tweeting. Content creating, revising, updating. Copy for reading, that’s really excelling. Making words exciting, audience targeting. Customer exceeding; now you know I love writing.

J Japheth Omojuwa | Behind the Cloud

Japh is the Editor of Atlas Economic Research Foundation’s African Liberty Organisation. He has had consultations with the Public Integrity Networks (PINS 2015), the World Bank, German Green Party’s Heinrich Bolls Foundation et al. He writes prolifically on www.omojuwa.com. He believes that Economic Justice is best won by Free Men through Free Enterprise.

Tolu Ogunlesi | (On)going Concerns

Tolu Ogunlesi has worked in management consulting, corporate communications and journalism. He was awarded a 2009 CNN Multichoice African Journalism prize, and recently served as Features Editor and Editorial Board member for a national newspaper. He regularly contributes to local and foreign media on Nigerian affairs, and tweets at @toluogunlesi | www.toluogunlesi.com

Temie Giwa | What Works?

Temie Giwa is a health economist and health systems researcher. She studied political science as an undergrad and has a masters in health management. She currently works in Ruhiira, Uganda as a Global Health Fellow. She is committed to Nigeria’s development and hopes that one day we will make Nigeria work.

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu | Penetration 1.0

Ebuka Obi-Uchendu is an on air personality, events compere and Intellectual Property, Entertainment and Communications Lawyer. He still watches the network news at 9pm.

Akintunde Oyebode | The 18th Letter

Akin is a trained economist passionate about the social and economic development of Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa. He contributes to political and economic issues via various social media platforms.