Tinubu makes TIME magazine’s ‘100 most influential persons’

Bola Tinubu, the president-elect, has been included in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2023.

He was named alongside Elon Musk, the CEO of Twitter, King Charles III of the United Kingdom, Joe Biden, Mitch McConnell, Lionel Messi, and US Senator Mitch McConnell.

Another Nigerian on the list is Dr Dimie Ogoina, an infectious diseases physician at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital, Okolobiri, Bayelsa State.

Ogoina was recognised for raising the alarm on a new presentation of Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, and persisting with his documentation when the world was not listening.

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“As the global Mpox outbreak unfolded in 2022, Dimie’s insights became critically important to developing better strategies to prevent and control outbreaks,” the magazine said.

The list also has entertainers such as American actor, Michael B. Jordan; US singer, Beyonce; US actress, Angela Bassett, among others.

On Tinubu, the magazine wrote: “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.

“But Tinubu’s win with the ruling All Progressives Congress party came in a fraught election and by a slim margin over Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi. It was the first time Nigerian voters contended with a third-party candidate, and many discontented young Nigerians yearning for change pinned their hopes on Obi. Marred by allegations of intimidation and vote rigging, the outcome of the ballot is being challenged in court.

“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.”