Nigerian entrepreneur and chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), Tony Elumelu, and a Nigerian physician, Dr. Tunji Funsho, have been named in the 2020 TIME100, the annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
The list, in its seventeenth year edition recognizes the activism, innovation, and achievement of the world’s most influential individuals.
Also, Toyin Adeyemi, a 27-year-old Nigerian-American novelist, who is also a creative writing coach and best known for her Number 1 New York Times bestselling book, Children of Blood and Bone, has been listed among the influential individuals.
In a short address attached to Elumelu’s nomination, president of Dangote Industries Ltd, Aliko Dangote, said, “He (Elumelu) is a leading proponent of “Africapitalism,” a belief that Africa’s private sector can and must play a leading role in the continent’s development through long-term investments, as well as entrepreneurship and regional connectivity.
“After deepening the financial market in Africa, he has found an equally important niche: giving a voice of hope to millions of youths across Africa. Having come so far, Tony still forges on, striking a fine balance between personal satisfaction and societal impact.”
Funsho, a Lagos-based cardiologist, was said to have played a pivotal role in ensuring Africa’s certification as wild polio-free in August 2020.
On his reaction, Funsho, who is the leader of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, said, “I’m honored to be recognized by TIME for my part in ensuring that no child in Africa will ever again be paralyzed by wild polio, a disease that once disabled 75,000 African children every single year.
“Eradicating the wild poliovirus in Africa was a team effort that required the cooperation and dedication of governments, partners, Rotary members, hundreds of thousands of health workers, and countless parents who chose to have their children vaccinated against polio.”
Here is the full list:
PIONEERS
Megan Thee Stallion
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Ibram X. Kendi
Nathan Law
Tomi Adeyemi
Astronauts Christina Koch And Jessica Meir
Julie K. Brown
Cecilia Martinez
Maya Moore
Chase Strangio
Zhang Yongzhen
Tourmaline
Waad Al-Kateab
Abubacarr Tambadou
Gabriela Cámara
Camilla Rothe
Rebecca Gomperts
Ravindra Gupta
Lauren Gardner
Shi Zhengli
Shiori Ito
ARTISTES
The Weeknd
Ali Wong
Michael B. Jordan
Selena Gomez
J Balvin
Jojo Siwa
Halsey
Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Jennifer Hudson
Yo-Yo Ma
Dapper Dan
Anaïs Mitchell
Michaela Coel
Bong Joon Ho
Lastesis
Julie Mehretu
Ayushmann Khurrana
LEADERS
Anthony Fauci
Kamala Harris
Tsai Ing-Wen
John Roberts
Xi Jinping
Donald Trump
Caesar
Angela Merkel
Joe Biden
Jair Bolsonaro
Nancy Pelosi
Narendra Modi
William Barr
Anne Hidalgo
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Mary Kay Henry
Nemonte Nenquimo
Ursula Von Der Leyen
Jung Eun-Kyeong
Bonnie Castillo
Jean-Jacques Muyembe Tamfum
Yousef Al Otaiba
TITANS
Gabrielle Union
Dwayne Wade
Sundar Pichai
Tyler Perry
Mackenzie Scott
Robert F. Smith
Lewis Hamilton
Jerome Powell
Eric Yuan
Patrick Mahomes
Claire Babineaux-Fontenot
Greg Berlanti
Shari Redstone
Tony Elumelu
Zhong Nanshan
Kristalina Georgieva
Lisa Nishimura
General Charles Q. Brown Jr
Daniel Zhang
Gwynne Shotwell
Tunji Funsho
ICONS
Amy O’Sullivan
Black Lives Matter Founders Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors And Opal Tometi
Ady Barkan
Billy Porter
Naomi Osaka
Angela Davis
Chi Chia-Wei
Megan Rapinoe
Felipe Neto
Allyson Felix
Sister Norma Pimentel
David Hill
Arussi Unda
Nury Turkel
Lina Attalah
Bilkis
