Nigeria’s President-elect in the February 25, 2023 election, Senator Bola Tinubu and Paris St Germain (PSG) star, have been named in Time Magazine’s list of 100 most influential people for 2023.
Time Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world which came out on Thursday accords recognition to people “for changing the world, regardless of the consequences of their actions”.
The recognition which honour the most influential people of the year, featured PSG stars, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé as athletes whose contributions far exceed their star status on the field of play.
According to the magazine, “Winning an election in Africa’s most populous country is no easy feat. But Nigeria’s newly elected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has had nearly two decades to prepare. Called Jagaban, or “leader of the warriors,” by his supporters, the now 71-year-old ran in a presidential election for the first time this March. His campaign slogan, “It’s my turn,” was a nod to his role as a longtime political power broker. Tinubu helped restore the country’s democracy in 1999 after fighting military rule and then served two consecutive terms as governor of Lagos.
“Tinubu now faces a litany of crises in a fractured nation, including deep-rooted corruption, religious insurgencies, and shortages of cash, fuel, and power in a crumbling economy. But the President-elect seems aware of his inheritance: “[Nigeria] is one country and we must build it together,” he said in his acceptance speech.”
Tinubu, the winner of Nigeria’s presidential election, is named alongside Joe Biden, president of the US and others in the “leader” category.
Also, Ogoina who was named under innovators in the magazine, sounded the alarm on a new presentation of Mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) that he was seeing in his home country of Nigeria, the world wasn’t ready to listen.
“Recognizing the importance and potential implications for global spread, he persisted, documenting the potential for sexual transmission of Mpox and publishing the data in high-impact scientific journals. As the global Mpox outbreak unfolded in 2022, Dimie’s insights became critically important to developing better strategies to prevent and control outbreaks.”
CEO TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, was also among the list.