Elumelu, Nigerian doctor among TIME’s 100 Most Influential People of 2020 (FULL LIST)

Chairman of the United Bank for Africa, 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, now in its seventeenth year, recognises 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 #1 NY Times bestselling book – Children of Blood and Bone, was among those listed.

In a short address attached to Elemelu’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 cardiologist based in Lagos, was said to have played an essential role in ensuring Africa’s certification as wild polio-free in August 2020.

Reacting, Funsho, who is the leader of Rotary’s Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee, said, “I’m honored to be recognised by TIME for my part in ensuring that no child in Africa will ever again be paralysed 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.”

It was gathered that in August 2019, Nigeria reached three years without a case of wild poliovirus.

The World Health Organisation subsequently certified Nigeria and other African nations polio-free on August 25, 2020.

SEE 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

ARTISTS

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's 

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

Dwyane 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 Potter

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