TIME NAMES NIGERIAN AMONG WORLD'S '100 MOST INFLUENTIAL'

Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu
Time magazine has named a 28-year-old Nigerian, Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, as one of the '100 most influential people in the world.'

The influential magazine had in its May 2010 edition said those on the list were shaping the world with their ideas, innovations and actions.

It added that the list was consolidated into four categories - leaders, artists, thinkers and heroes.

Others on the list include United States President Barack Obama; Graca Machel, wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela; Brazilian President Luiz da Silva; Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama; and Managing Director, International Monetary Fund, Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Also on the list are Chelsea striker, Didier Drogba; the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Ms. Nancy Pelosi; US Minority Whip, Mr. Jon Kyl; Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad; French Minister of Finance, Ms. Christine Lagarde; Turkish Prime Minister Recep Erdogan; Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh; talkshow host and publisher, Ms. Oprah Winfrey; and British musician, Elton John.

Ikegwuonu, who was listed in the artists' category, was born in 1982 and lives in Imo State.

According to Time, he has, since his high school, been developing ways to help Nigerian farmers.

He was identified because of his reported dedication to improving the lives of rural people and his commitment to environmental protection and sustainable agriculture.

Time said, 'In Nigerian state of Imo, where Ikegwuonu lives, farmers are suffering because of their isolation. Via the Smallholders Foundation, which he set up in 2003, he has been broadcasting by radio 10 hours a day to give 250,000 farmers news in their own language about farming and marketing techniques.

'He has now begun using interactive technology in order to serve farmers across his state.'