The current edition of US based magazine, TIME, has listed President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan as one of 2012's 100 most influential people in the world.According to the citation on him written by Liberia's President, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, "President Jonathan, 54, possesses the qualities needed at this moment of great challenges, having come to power at a crucial moment in the history of Nigeria. The country has grown out of its past of corruption, mismanagement and brutality, but the foundation of good governance is still fragile.
"He has spearheaded the fight against corruption and turned Nigeria into an example of good governance. He has also made a significant impact on consolidating peace and security in West Africa. From the onset of our own crisis, Liberia has benefitted from the support of Nigeria.
"In two short years, President Jonathan has shown the same dexterity he demonstrated as governor of Bayelsa, the same ability to find the remedies to the many complexities of running a nascent democracy.
"President Jonathan not only upheld the trend but added to it. With leaders like President Jonathan, Africa is sure to move toward prosperity, freedom and dignity for all of its people," Sirleaf added.
TIME had listed CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi among its 100 influential people list in 2011.
This year's list - the 9th in the series - features 54 international figures from 37 countries and also includes several controversial figures, such as Syrian President Bashar Assad, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. The list is divided into five categories: Moguls, Breakouts, Icons, Pioneers and Leaders.
Others on the list:- Jeremy Lin
- Christian Marclay
- Viola Davis
- Salman Khan
- Tim Tebow
- E.L. James
- Louis CK
- Rihanna
- Marco Rubio
- Ali Ferzat
- René Redzepi
- Kristen Wiig
- Anthony Kennedy
- Novak Djokovic
- Ben Rattray
- Jessica Chastain
- Yani Tseng
- Raphael Saadiq
- Elinor Ostrom
- Samira Ibrahim
- José Andrés
- Ann Patchett
- Dulce Matuz
- Henrik Schärfe
- Freeman Hrabowski
- Maryam Durani
- Manal al-Sharif
- Anjali Gopalan
- Rached Ghannouchi
- Barbara Van Dahlen
- Ron Fouchier
- Donald Sadoway
- Hans Rosling
- Asghar Farhadi
- Sarah Burton
- Anonymous
- Pete Cashmore
- Cami Anderson
- Ali Babacan and Ahmet Davutoglu
- Ai-jen Poo
- Marc Andreessen
- Preet Bharara
- Robert Grant
- Andrew Lo
- Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
- Alexei Navalny
- Ray Dalio
- Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani
- Chelsea Handler
- Harvey Weinstein
- Chen Lihua
- Warren Buffett
- Alice Walton
- Harold Hamm
- Sheryl Sandberg
- Sara Blakely
- Tim Cook
- Eike Batista
- Daniel Ek
- Virginia Rometty
- Barack Obama
- Xi Jinping
- Fatou Bensouda
- Christine Lagarde
- Mario Draghi
- U Thein Sein
- Ayatullah Ali Khamenei
- Mitt Romney
- Juan Manuel Santos
- Timothy Dolan
- Portia Simpson Miller
- Mario Monti
- Wang Yang
- Maria das Graças Silva Foster
- Andrew Cuomo
- Iftikhar Chaudhry
- Mamata Banerjee
- Walter Isaacson
- Ron Paul
- Benjamin Netanyahu
- Dilma Rousseff
- Erik Martin
- Cecile Richards
- Angela Merkel
- Lionel Messi
- Tilda Swinton
- Hillary Clinton
- Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Pippa Middleton
- Adele
- Matt Lauer
- Oscar Pistorius
- Claire Danes
- Stephen Colbert
- Kim Jong Un
- Mullah Mohammed Omar and Sheik Moktar Ali Zubeyr
- Bashar Assad
Daily Trust