Time lists Jonathan, Obama, Hillary Clinton among World’s 100 Most Influential People

Time magazine has listed Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan as one of the 100 Most Influential Persons in the World.
Jonathan is the only African leader on the list, published on Wednesday. It is also the cover story of the current edition of Time.
The list also includes United States President Barrack Obama; U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton; hacking group, Anonymous; American billionaire, Warren Buffet; German chancellor, Angela Merkel; President of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde; Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Khamenei; Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu; footballer, Lionel Messi; Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; new North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un; Syrian President Bashar Assad; American Republican presidential candidates, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul; pop star, Rihanna; fashion designer, Sarah Burton; and Chinese heir apparent, Xi Jinping.
The list was chosen through voting by Time readers from around the world.
The citation on Jonathan, written by Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, reads, “Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan exemplifies the African political renaissance at a time when the people of the continent are starting to reap the fruit of their resources and their hard work.
“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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
The full list below:
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
Eike Batista
Tim Cook
Daniel Ek
Virginia Rometty
Barack Obama
Goodluck Jonathan
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

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How Sri Lankan woman was gunned down in Kano

                                      • The husband, son and other family members at the funeral service

The tragic end of the late Mrs. Viny Elvina Gnanaharan, 36, is a sad tale that brings afresh a flood of tears each time it is mentioned among the residents of Kano State. She was one woman that lived a life full of joy and smiles, according to the accounts of everybody in town.

Her funeral procession to the Christian Cemetery, along Airport Road, Kano on Sunday, March 25, was unforgettable. There were hordes of sympathizers and mourners from all walks of life, made up of Sri Lankans, Indians, the Lebanese community in Kano and Nigerians. For many mourners that stood by her graveside, the death of the late Mrs. Viny Elvina Gnanaharan was unbelievable. It was hard to accept especially as her remains, dressed in a white, flowery gown, was so aglow inside her casket.

Her final journey on earth began from the morgue of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano. Thereafter, there was a stop over at Saint George’s Anglican Church, Bompai, for the funeral service. At the church, the Vicar, Venerable Luka S. Iliya of St. George’s Anglican Church, Bompai, Kano, admonished all to live a life of holiness, pointing out that man has a short time on earth. “We only know how we came into this world. But one thing is certain: we are going to die. But how we will die and where we will die, nobody knows and nobody can say,” he added.

The late Mrs. Viny Gnanaharan, a Sri Lankan mother, never knew how she was going to die and never guessed it would be so cruel. Twelve years ago, she came to Kano State in North West Nigeria and found a home here. It was said that she loved Kano so passionately that she would do anything for the state. But as fate would have it, she was shot in Kano and by March 22, she was dead. Viny, as she was fondly called, was one of the many less fortunate persons who were shot by the angry bullets of members of the Boko Haram sect on that fateful day.

The victim was with her driver and her son, Elvin, who sat in the back of the car. They were all driving home that evening along Dantata Road, coming from Independence Road, when the bullet found her head and sank into her brain.
Recounting her fate, the deceased’s husband, Mr. Edwin told Daily Sun: “She was on her way, coming back home. She was sitting in the front with her driver and my son was sitting in the back. As they were coming, the people were shooting sporadically and one of the bullets fell on her, but the driver was not injured.”

“It was the driver who took her to the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, where I went and met her. At the Aminu Kano Hospital, they gave her all the necessary treatment for some time, before we flew her out to South Africa,” he added. But Mrs. Viny, who worked with Alliance Travels and Tours in the state, did not die thereafter. She held on, albeit unconsciously. For several days, she remained in a coma, battling between life and death in the land of the unknown just as her relatives prayed breathlessly for her to make it.

In between these times, the battle to save her life took her from the Intensive Care Unit of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano to Mid Park Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa and back again to Kano, with several doctors, including a medical professor, battling to save her life. But she was not lucky. The deceased’s husband captured the trying moments, saying that they held onto a thread of hope even when the hospital in South Africa felt that the matter was near hopeless. He told Daily Sun: “At the hospital in South Africa, they said that since it was a head injury and it was severe, they could not do anything. But we kept on for some time, having nothing but hope.”

Two weeks after the burial of Mrs. Viny, her husband, Edwin Gnanaharan is still living in shock. He looked pale as he walked down the veranda of their residence situated along Nassarawa GRA in the state capital. His emotional loss was self-evident as he struggled to put himself together. Edwin, an engineer, came to Kano some 34 years ago. Years later, Viny, his wife, joined him in Kano and together they had their son, Elvin Geshuran Gnanaharan, the young, once vibrant boy whose temple of joy and happiness was ripped apart by that singular gunshot. He was himself lucky to have escaped with only bruises.

Edwin confirmed that the family was still shocked. But interestingly, he added that they had forgiven those who were responsible for the killing of his wife. His words: “We are truly lonely, but by the grace of God we are managing to pull through. To those who are responsible for the killing, I tell you that we have forgiven them. They are forgiven. Because we have to forgive - that is the only way that we can be forgiven also.” He also said that he wasn’t angry with the state and the country over the tragedy. Rather he saw the tragedy as a misfortune that could have happened to any person in any other place.

“Well, things like this happen all over the world. We have to just take it. Whatever that God gives, when He takes, He gives us something also. In this case, He gives us the strength to bear the pains. There is no place in the world that you will not have problems. But when God takes, He gives us the strength,” he stated calmly.

He added that the family would be grateful if it could get some support from the state government in line with its policy to support the victims of Boko Haram attacks. According to him, “We have gone through so much trauma and pains. We have gone through so much expenses and hospital bills in South Africa where she was referred to by hospital authorities here and I will be happy if the state and the Federal Government could support us financially.

“They have already promised to help the victims and we are also hoping that the same donation will be extended to us so that we can use it to support the family. It can be useful to my son’s future education,” the bereaved appealed to the state governor, Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

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Keshi, Saintfiet need each other – Maigari

FEARS of a possible clash of functions between Super Eagles coach Stephen Keshi and newly recruited Technical Director of the NFF, Tom Saintfiet has been poured cold water by Alhaji Aminu Maigari who said that the two technical men need each other to excel.
“We hired the Technical Director because its a mandatory thing from World Soccer, FIFA. But many people have expressed fears that the two may clash in the cause of their duty. I don’t think so. Instead, they need each other to excel”, Maigari cleared yesterday in Lagos.

Keshi and Saintfiet

Belgian Tom Saintfiet is yet to resume but has expressed delight to work with indigenous coaches, promising to discover new talents as well as make the senior national team rediscover themselves and bounce back to reckoning in Africa and world soccer.
Maigari said that the Belgian would definitely contribute positively to Nigerian football with the help of indigenous coaches. “The man needs indigenous coaches. They are the ones who will show him around. He will be working with them and his recommendations would be passed to all the different national coaches. I do not for-see any area of conflict between Keshi and any other coach for that matter. The truth is that we are repositioning our football to move to where we rightfully belong”.
Speaking on the home-based Eagles, the NFF President poured encomiums on the technical crew and the players for their hardwork and commitment.
“We’re indeed proud of the job of Keshi and his crew and the boys that they are working with. Ours is to provide the good atmosphere and the tools for them. So far, they have done absolutely well”, Maigari said passing a vote of confidence on the home-based Eagles.
On the issue of using over-aged players in the U-17 national team, Maigari said that age cheats should be totally wiped out by coaches and administrators.
2“To tell you how serious we view the issue of over-aged players, I have warned that no League player should be invited to the U-17 team.  I know that Pele went to the World Cup as an U-17 but we don’t want any league player in the junior team”, he emphasised.

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Sour tale from downtown Abuja

RESIDENTS of Gofidna, a sleepy, rustic community in the Abuja Federal Capital Territory (FCT) wish things were a little better for them than at present.
Of Gbagi ethnic extraction, the Gofidna community of about 1100 prides itself as being more than 100 years old, is also home to abject poverty.
Though rightfully qualified to be described as a suburb in the FCT, nothing of the good life the territory is associated with, has trickled down to Gofidna people, whose men folk are predominately farmers.
They grow yam, beans, and corn, millet, cassava and soya beans while their women mainly trade in firewood, which they take to Zuba, another suburb in the FCT, about 25 kilometres from Gofidna.
Because of ravaging poverty, life in Gofidna is marked by hardship, disease and early but avoidable death.
Nowhere does this reality stand out stark naked as in the areas of water supply, health care and education.
According to the Atakpamuze Garkawa or spokesman of Gofidna, Abdulahi Adamu, people in the community rely on a pond for the water they need for domestic use.
Located in a wooded grove a short walk from the community, the almost-stagnant pond of grayish water, Adamu told The Guardian, is beneath a huge tree.
From the tree and boughs all around, leaves, bird droppings as well as waste from other animals drop into the pond below, which is also used by domestic animals such as sheep and goats.
This, of course, makes the pond a very questionable source of water safe for domestic use.
“Before they drink the water, they will boil it, but not everybody does this as some drink it like that,” Adamu said.
He continued: “Many of our people here fall sick often but there is no hospital except in Zuba, about 25 kilometres away.
“When our pregnant women are due, we take them to Zuba but some of them die on the way before reaching the hospital.
“From here to Zuba is a very long distance. Only three days ago, a woman lost her baby on her way to Zuba to deliver.
“The woman survived, she is okay but very sad that her baby she had carried for nine months died like that, as she was going to hospital.
“Sometimes, when the signs of delivery start at the night, we start looking for a vehicle to take the woman to Zuba.
“Sometimes, we are not lucky to get a vehicle in time and the baby and mother may die.
“There was a time, not long ago, when our children were dying so frequently because they were ill very often.
“We do not know the reason behind such deaths,” Adamu said.
But the absence of a primary school was the reason Adamu could identify for the many deaths among Gofidna’s children of school age.
“Until recently, there was no primary school in our community.
“All our children used to go to school in Zuba and many were killed by cars and trucks as they tried to cross the expressway.
“These are very small children and when going to or coming from school, they would want to cross the road and are crushed by fast-moving vehicles.
“Being small children, they do not know how to cross the expressway as adults do, as a result of which about 15 of our kids have died on the way to or from school.
“But that kind of death for my people has been reduced.
“Now, we have primary school so the small and young children go school here while those in secondary school still go to Zuba.
“Vehicles do not crush those ones as frequently as they killed our smaller, younger kids.
“No government official comes here to see what we are going through except our municipal chairman.
“Politicians come when they want us to vote for them during elections during which they tell us they will give us all that we need.
“We vote for them and after the election, we do not see them again.”
He explained that the intervention of a good spirited non-governmental organization that built two blocks of classrooms for the community helped put an end to the deaths of their children along Zuba expressway.
That gesture by the non-governmental organization must have induced the Municipal Area Council to build three other classroom blocks.
Almost in tears, Adamu appealed to the government to rescue his community from the burden of lack and poverty.
He pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan, the FCT administration and development agencies to come to their assistance and to empower them,  especially their women, whom he said, were very hardworking.

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