Nigeria has never experienced a shortage of talent. Since time immemorial, Nigeria has always produced highflyers and trailblazers who have left their imprints on the sand of time. Unfortunately, we live in a society that often celebrates fraudsters and criminals. These personalities often capture more attention and admiration than those achieving success through relentless hard work and dedication.
But there is a new wave of Nigerians proving that grit and creativity can take you further than shortcuts ever could. These highflyers are redefining what it means to succeed on the global stage. From sports to media, culinary arts, tech, and entertainment, these personalities shine as reminders that excellence, integrity, and ambition are worth celebrating.
In a country that often rewards the flashy or the ill-gotten, these Nigerians stand out because they win with purpose, talent, and authenticity. This multiple-part article spotlights some of the most inspiring highflyers across different fields, showing that success does compete with any sensational story for attention.
Tunde Onakoya
Tunde Onakoya is arguably one of the most recognized young Nigerians in the last decade. The chess player and coach is most notably known for his work as the founder of Chess in Slums Africa, a non-profit that uses chess to empower children in underserved communities. Raised in the slums of Ikorodu, Lagos, he discovered the game at a local barber’s shop. Despite financial struggles – his mother once worked as a cleaner in exchange for his school fees – he rose to become Nigeria’s 13th-ranked chess player, winning national tournaments and a gold medal while representing Yaba College of Technology, where he studied computer science.
In 2018, he founded Chess in Slums Africa, which has reached children in communities like Makoko, Majidun, and Oshodi, providing access to education and scholarships. In 2021, a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy from his program won a chess tournament and went on to play against the Lagos State governor. In April 2024, Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon in Times Square, New York, playing for 60 hours to raise funds for African children’s education.
His work has been recognized globally, with features on CNN African Voices and his role as a board member of The Gift of Chess. Onakoya is an inspiration to millions around the world by proving that with resilience and opportunity, children from nothing can achieve the impossible.
Joey Akan
Joey Akan is one of Nigeria’s greatest music journalists and cultural commentators of all time. Joey, who is the creator of Afrobeats Intelligence, a podcast and newsletter that has become a vital platform for deep conversations about African music, began his career at Pulse Nigeria, where his sharp reviews and investigative pieces established him as one of the most outspoken and recognized voices in the industry. Over the years, his work has appeared in The New York Times, Pitchfork, DJBooth, OkayAfrica, and more, chronicling Afrobeats’ global rise while investigating its cultural essence.
Akan’s storytelling is rooted in personal resilience. Having lost both parents at a young age and endured hardship, he forged a career defined by honesty and courage. His early years as a combative critic have since matured into a balanced approach, where curiosity and nuance drive his conversations. Afrobeats Intelligence has featured candid interviews with artists and executives such as Don Jazzy, Tiwa Savage, Omah Lay, Timaya, Joeboy, and many more.
With his clear-eyed perspective, Akan continues to shape how the world understands Nigerian and African pop music, cementing his role as one of the continent’s most important music journalists.
Hilda Baci
Hilda Baci is a Nigerian celebrity chef, entrepreneur, and Guinness World Record holder whose rise has made her one of the country’s most celebrated food icons. Born in Calabar and raised partly in Abuja, she grew up helping her mother run an eatery, where she first developed her instinct for hospitality and food. Initially drawn to law, international relations, and media, Baci eventually discovered her calling in the kitchen.
Her breakthrough came in 2023, when she staged a four-day cook-a-thon that lasted 93 hours and 11 minutes, setting a Guinness World Record for the longest cooking marathon. The feat captured national and global attention, drawing support from politicians, celebrities, and millions of fans across social media. She followed it up in 2025 by breaking another Guinness World Record—cooking more than 8.7 tonnes of jollof rice in one giant pot, further cementing her place in culinary history.
Through her brand, My Food by Hilda, she runs a restaurant in Lagos, teaches cooking classes, and offers private chef services, all while building an empire aimed at making Nigerian cuisine globally recognized. With millions of followers online and ambitions to expand internationally, Hilda Baci represents both entrepreneurial brilliance and cultural pride.
Korty EO
Korty EO has steadily become one of the most influential Nigerian storytellers of this generation. Starting as a model with Few Models in 2017, she soon transitioned into content creation, working at Zikoko and later serving as Head of Content at emPawa Africa, where she shaped the visual identity of emerging African artists. In 2020, she launched her YouTube channel, which is approaching 400,000 subscribers, thanks to her documentary-style storytelling that prioritizes honesty over spectacle.
Her standout series, Flow With Korty, has featured conversations with cultural figures like Tems, Don Jazzy, Ayra Starr, and Timini Egbuson, while Love or Lies and Street Voices brought raw and relatable youth conversations to life. By 2023, she was tapped for Victoria’s Secret’s global Undefinable campaign, and in the years since, she has worked with global brands including Google, Apple Music, Spotify, Fenty Beauty, and Coca-Cola.
Korty has inspired a new wave of content creators and has successfully shifted brand culture toward authenticity and has cemented her place as an authority in Nigerian pop culture.
Gilmore
Gilmore has emerged as one of the biggest names on Nigerian TikTok, building a reputation as the platform’s most popular creator and a leader of the new wave of digital entertainers. He first broke out with his Ogunmepon skits, where he played the role of a mischievous secondary school student.
The character’s humor and relatability struck a chord with audiences, quickly making him a fan favorite. From there, Gilmore expanded his creativity, teaming up with other young talents to form what has become known as the Gilmore Gang, a collective of creators like TrenchBoy, Paper Chaze, Precious, Sharon, and others who have redefined communal content creation in Nigeria.
Beyond TikTok skits, Gilmore has shown a strong ability to branch into other fields, from music to filmmaking. His YouTube projects and collaborations prove his versatility, while his leadership within the group has turned their circle into a powerhouse of viral content.
Together, they’ve created moments that have spread far beyond TikTok, like the Sojinu sound that caught global attention in football circles. At the heart of it all, Gilmore’s consistency, humor, and ability to inspire collective growth have made him the face of Nigerian TikTok, a symbol of how digital culture is shaping youth creativity today.
