TheCable

Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria’s president-elect, and Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram sect, are among the Nigerians who made Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people in the world.

Other Nigerians in the list are Obiageli Ezekwesili, who was listed in the category of leaders alongside Buhari and Shekau, while Chimamanda Adichie, notable author, was in the category of artists.

The Time list of 100 most influential people in the world is an annual compilation of people whose works are changing the world.

Writing a tribute under the title ‘A New Choice for Nigeria’, Aryn Baker, Time’s Africa bureau chief, lauded Buhari for becoming the first candidate to oust a sitting Nigerian president through the ballot box.

However, Carter Ham, a retired US army general, described Shekau as the most violent killer that Nigeria has ever seen.

He said the decision of Shekau’s sect to align with the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) may summon a US response.

Chimamanda and Ezekwesili were commended for their respective roles in the development of the country.

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria’s outgoing president; Wole Soyinka, Nigeria’s first Nobel laureate; Ngoji Okonj-Iweala, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy; Aliko Dangote, business mogul and Forbes-acclaimed richest African; Omotola Jalade, Nollywood actress; and Philip Emeagwali, US-based Nigerian computer engineer, are some of the Nigerians who have made the list in the past.