President – elect Muhammadu Buhari, advocate of Bring Back our Giirls Group, Obi Ezekwesili and renowned writer, Chinamnada Adichie have been listed in TIME’s group of 100 most influential people in the world.

Also included in the 2015 list is Abubakar Shekau, leader of the Boko Haram Islamist organization.

The TIME 100 is an annual list of 100 most influential people in the world whose works are changing the world, notwithstanding how the result of their actions is globally viewed.

Buhari was described as “a new choice for Nigeria,” by TIME’s Africa Bureau Chief, Aryn Baker. The former military Head of State made history in March by becoming the first person to unseat an incumbent Nigerian President through the ballot box.

“Now he has to live up to voters’ expectations. From battling the Boko Haram insurgency to tackling endemic corruption, Buhari has many challenges ahead. The greatest may be overcoming his past as a military ruler, who seized power in 1983.

“Already the born-again democrat is demonstrating the inclusivity necessary to lead a nation driven by ethnic and religious tension. It’s a promising start for a President-to-be, who wants to leave a legacy to match the historic conditions of his election,” Baker said.

Ezekwesili was described by the Ugandan activist, Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe, as one who had made a difference in the efforts to bring the plight of the missing Chibok girls to limelight.

“It has been a year, and the girls (Chibok girls) haven’t been rescued, but she has made a difference by speaking about it. Not just speaking but shouting. I know some people will say she is too loudmouthed. The loud mouth is needed. People hear it,” Nyirunmbe said.

While Adichie was described by the deputy managing director of TIME, Radhika Jones, as a “conjurer of character” whose work is shaping global perception of Africa, Shekau was tagged, the “scourge of Africa” and a “violent killer” by General Carter Ham (retd.), a former commander of US Africa Command.