These 5 Nigerians on Instagram deserve some accolades

Humour has always been one of our strong suits. Since those initial 15 second long videos were introduced in 2013, Nigerians in the diaspora and then at home, have built a comedy circuit. Some of them have gone as far as making a green blotch on global pop culture.

Pictures can tell a thousand stories though, and the colour that oozes from a Nigerian photo has been enough to pique our attention for quite a while.

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Sometimes, that often elusive X-factor has been the face in front of the camera or his antics, in others, it's been the photos and the stories they tell (or the social media assistant uploading them).

These 5 Nigerian deserve some accolades for doing with little more than themselves and a little bit of makeup and costuming.

(1) Charles Okocha:

Nobody deserves accolades quite like Igwe Tupac. Already familiar as one of Nollywood's funny men, tragedy forced the actor into a hiatus.

When he returned, it was on Instagram, in the form of a caricature that mixed American gangster culture with Nigerian exuberance.

First with the Amoshine skit, and more recently, with by screaming out his claim to recognition, Igwe Tupac has become one of our favourite faces on Instagram.

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His hypeman who has been revealed to be an Afro-pop musician by the name Boy Wonder has taken the act a couple of notches higher.

Charles Okocha's career in Nollywood has experienced a resurgence of sorts lately. Building a persona is hard but Igwe Tupac has shown us to lampoon our tendencies in a way that very few could.

(2) Maraji:

Gloria Oloruntobi is everyone's favourite girl. Starting off while in university, Maraji's vocal dexterity and ability to manipulate her expression to tell whatever story she wishes are the standouts of her act, but they don't tell the entire story.

Maraji has a rare understanding of the Nigerian ethic and the inclinations that drive some of our most typical actions.

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It reflects in how she can show the range of Nigerian texters and come as close as expressing the impatience with which we treat mistakes.

In a field dominated by men, Maraji is a rare breed in many ways.

(3) Craze Clown:

Tobi's father but the man deserves some respect on his name.

Following the template created by acts like Mama Tobi, Craze Clown was one of a set of young Nigerians in the diaspora who lampooned Nigerian family culture in short skits.

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His character, a middle-aged Igbo man, surprisingly defiant in his ignorance, caught on rather quickly, especially with the support of his sidekick and son, Tobi.

The act spurned a stand-up act and a headline show that has picked up where the Instagram page left things off.

(4) Instablog9ja:

You thought you were gossiping until Instablog9ja came through. Styled as that Nigerian older sister who seems to be omnipresent when she wishes, the Instagram gossip channel has become a behemoth on the platform.

Thanks to a loyal community of followers and a practical eyewitness system, the platform has built a reputation for 'breaking' some of the biggest celeb stories in recent months. There's also that thing about the caption and the scathing commentary laced within the sarcasm.

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The platform has created a persona that many of its peers and even social-oriented publishers are struggling to emulate in a field of copycats.

Instablog9ja is the one your favourite blogger thins about in his sleep.

(5) ThelmzKitchen

Who thought you could enjoy food without actually putting it in your mouth? Food is a big part of our culture, even at urban levels, as the Jollof Wars have shown.

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ThelmzKitchen uses that understanding, our love of colourful photos and the allure of good food to build a community of food lovers.

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Her feed is dominated with images of various Nigerian dishes, the magic it takes to create them. Apart from the obvious, showcasing the range of Nigerian cooking, her success has inspired an entire batch of chefs and foodies to take their love online.