Nengi Hampson, VBank, Mr Macaroni, MTN, Ndani TV, JOSH2Funny and others shine at Gage Awards 2021

Big winners emerged on the night in different categories. Nengi Hampson beat Erica Nlewedim, Pamilerin Adegoke, Aisha Yesuf and Tomike Adeoye to become Africa’s best Influencer of 2020/21. This category was determined by public nominations and votes.

The Big Brother Naija Lockdown season revelation has been on a steady rise as an Influencer since she left the BBNaija lockdown house bagging numerous endorsement deals with top brands. She has developed a cult following among Nigerians and other parts of the world.

The Banking App of the Year was a stiff competition among top banks GTBank, Access Bank, VBank, Alat by Wema and Zenith Bank. Vbank emerged winner in that category. It came as a surprise defeating the already established traditional banks to it.

Another interesting category on the night was the Online Comedian of the Year. There were talks of Taaooma retaining her crown as King of Online Comedy but Mr Macaroni had other ideas. He emerged champion in that highly coveted category. Mr Macaroni has shown a lot of consistency with his ‘Sugar Daddy’ character which has brought joy to Nigerians.

MTN Nigeria won the Data Service Provider of the Year category in a tight battle of the data kings. Data was instrumental to our survival during the pandemic and we saw an upsurge in the usage of more data in the thick of the pandemic for many reasons. This category was an audience choice category and MTN can be proud of themselves as the people’s choice, wrestling away the crown from Airtel who were defending the title they won last year.

Other big winners who emerged on the night were Ndani Tv who won the Content Creator of the Year, Fishbone the movie emerged the Online Film and Documentary of the Year, RED Tv’s series ‘The Men’s Club’ came tops in the Webseries of the Year.

DSTV Nigeria website won the Website of the Year among four other outstanding websites. The podcast ‘I Said What I Said’ won the Podcast of the Year category. Nairametrics picked up the Blog of the Year among other top blogs.

High-end mobile phone brand, Oppo, won the Online Campaign of the Year with their #ShotOnOppo campaign which not only engaged the audience in 2020 but also met the brand marketing objectives. AriseTv News Online took away the Online News Platform of the Year for 2020/21.

One of the biggest awards on the night was the GAGE STAR Award which celebrates the most outstanding digital mind who revolutionized the digital space with an interesting innovation that made life easier and simpler in the Year 2020/21. Online Comic Act JOSH2FUNNY made history by becoming the first ever GAGE STAR Award winner.

His ingenious idea #DONTLEAVEMECHALLENGE went viral beyond the shores of Africa to become a global phenomenon. It brought joy to many in the grim year of the pandemic across the World. He is deserving of this recognition.

It will be recalled that this is the second edition of the GAGE Awards. It is a comprehensive celebration of individuals, groups and brands that have impacted lives by making life easier and better for all. GAGE Awards has been consistent in facilitating growth, driving innovation and attracting new talents to the digital space.

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