Omotola Jalade Ekehinde makes TIME's 100 most influential list

Nollywood actress, Omotola Jolaade-Ekeinde, has made the list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

The TIME Magazine, in its 2013 edition of TIME 100, released on Thursday, which encompasses world leaders, pioneers, artistes and other titanic figures, listed Omotola on its Icon List.

It includes the likes of United States First Lady, Michelle Obama; Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton; Myanmar opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi; 15-year-old Pakistani activist shot by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai; and Beyonce.

Explaining how Omotola made the list, TIME’s movie critic, Richard Corliss, on the TIME’s website, described her as “the Queen of Nollywood.”

“Called OmoSexy by her fans, she has made 300 or so features, from the 1996 Mortal Inheritance to the 2010 super production Ijé, shot partly on location in Los Angeles. She brings a juggler’s grace to her roles as actress, singer, reality-show star.

“Success hasn’t spoilt Africa’s most renowned leading lady. Rather than going Hollywood, Omotola wants to stay Nollywood,” he notes.

Omotola, who is married to an airline pilot, whom she wed on a flight from Lagos to Benin, was also recognised for her initiative in starting an empowerment scheme known as “Omotola Youth Empowerment Programme.”

Others on the Leaders’ list include Pope Francis, United States President Barack Obama; US Vice-President Joe Biden; 30-year-old North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Un; Malawi’s first and Africa’s second female President, Joyce Banda.

Writing a review on the rationale behind the listing of Banda, Liberian President Helen Johnson Sirleaf says, “ She is committed to using her position to improve the lives of women across the continent, not just in Malawi. She has great strength. I am delighted that I’m not alone in Africa anymore.”