TIME has released its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world for the year 2020 and it features four Nigerians- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tomi Adeyemi, Tony Elumelu and Tunji Funsho. The entrants are recognized forst. their contribution to the world.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a Greek professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Antetokounmpo, whose surname is a Greek script rendition for “Adetokunbo” was in Greece to Nigerian parents in 1994. Antetokounmpo is a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player and was named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. For the TIME100 list, Antetokounmpo’s entry was penned by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a six-time NBA champion and league Most Valuable Player.
Tomi Adeyemi
Bestselling Nigerian-American novelist and creative writing coach. She is best known for her #1 NY Times bestselling book “Children of Blood and Bone”. The novel won the 2018 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, the 2019 Waterstones Book Prize, and the 2019 Hugo Lodestar Award for Best Young Adult Book. In 2019, Adeyemi was named to Forbe’s 30 Under 30 list. For the TIME100 list, Adeyemi’s entry was written by British-Nigerian actor and producer John Boyega.
Tony Elumelu
Tony Elumelu is an economist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He is the chairman of Heirs Holdings, the United Bank for Africa, Transcorp and founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation. For the TIME100 list, Elumelu’s entry was written by Aliko Dangote, a businessman and Africa’s richest person.
Tunji Funsho
Dr. Funsho, is a cardiologist and the chair of Rotary International’s polioeradication program in Nigeria. For the TIME100 list, Funsho’s entry was written by Jeffrey Kluger, an editor at TIME. Funsho and Rotary played a critical role in getting millions of doses of the polio vaccine to children in cities and villages around the nation. On 25 August, marking four years without a case of wild polio, Nigeria was certified wild polio-free.
“While you will certainly find people who wield traditional power on this year’s list—heads of state, CEOs, major entertainers—it also includes many extraordinary, lesser-known individuals who seized the moment to save lives, build a movement, lift the spirit, repair the world”, TIME said on how it chose individuals that made this year’s list.