55
Perhaps the story should have been how two friends met and became the faces of Diaspora Nollywood
If you’ve spent 5 minutes on Twitter, TikTok, or in any UK Nigerian WhatsApp group in the last 10 years, you must have heard two names-Yinka Mayungbo and Lola Onigbogi.
Yinka and Lola didn’t just get popular. They became the bridge between Lagos and London.
Yinka grew up in Abeokuta. First child, loud voice, drama club President. She studied Theatre Arts at UNILAG, then moved to the UK in 2010 for her Masters. While in England, she paid her bills doing event hosting and MC work for Owambe parties in South London where she lived. People said “that girl has mouth and from there,her story began to emerge. She is still writing her story till this day.
Lola,on the other hand, grew up in Ibadan. Quiet, book-smart, and tech-obsessed. She studied Computer Science, then moved to the UK in 2011. She worked in digital marketing by day and was editing YouTube videos for Churches and small businesses by night.
City People gathered that the two reportedly met in 2013 at a Nigerian Independence Day event in Trafalgar Square. While Yinka was hosting, Lola was filming for free “to build portfolio.”
Yinka watched the footage later and called her: “Lola, you made me look like Genevieve”. We need to work together.And then the break! Nigerians in the UK loved Nollywood but there was no one speaking to them about Nollywood in their own accent. UK television stations didn’t cover it. Nigerian blogs didn’t understand UK narratives so there was a void.
Lola and Yinka saw this and they started a YouTube channel from Lola’s kitchen in Peckham called -Gist With Yinka & Lola.Yinka does the hot takes, movie reviews, ratings, street interviews. She could turn a 2-minute gist into a 20-minute conversation.
Lola is more into strategy. She figured out YouTube. Thumbnails, upload times etc. She also built relationships with Producers in Lagos and got exclusive clips to show Naija viewers in the UK.
There are hundreds of Nollywood reviewers in the UK but Yinka and Lola hit different because they spoke Naija language and are exceptional in their delivery.
They weren’t in Lagos, and they weren’t fully British in their delivery…they were in-between,which sat well with the viewers. And 2 million people in the UK felt it. That is the depth of their popularity.Those who have followed their path say they have been consistent and clean,with no scandals. No dragging people for clout. While other channels chased gossip, they chased issues,actor interviews, Producer breakdowns, how this film was made etc.
Brands noticed, and by 2019, DSTV UK, Gino, and Indomie were sponsoring their shows.
Yinka and Lola built a large following within Nigerians in the UK.Every December they host “Gistmas” — a live show plus movie screening in London where 3,000 plus people would show up, mainly Nigerians.
During COVID, they did daily Instagram Lives: “Lockdown Gist.” People tuned in just to feel less alone in their homes.
It was in 2020, Lola and Yinka’s popularity turned into big business when they launched the ‘Gist With Y&L Podcast and it hit Number 1 on Apple Podcasts Nigeria and in UK for 8 weeks. In 2022,they signed a deal to host the UK Red carpet for AMVCA and Toronto Nollywood Film Festival.In 2024, they produced their first documentary-London to Lagos. It trended on Netflix Nigeria for 3 weeks.
In 2025,they hit 4.1M YouTube subscribers, 1.8M on Instagram plus 500M plus in total views.
Today, if a Nollywood movie wants to trend in the UK, the film first goes to Yinka and Lola and you can rest, assured. People love their dynamics because they are real. The popularity of Yinka and Lola is way out of belief to many. Together, they continue to make Nigerians in UK and diaspora feel like home.
Wole Alakija
08055001823
What do you think about this?
Drop your opinion in the comment section.
FOLLOW US & Share this with someone who needs to see this.
