by Hauwa Gambo

“The twin imperatives of trying to end a bloody northern Nigeria Islamist rebellion led by Boko Haram and dismantle the fuel subsidies that are one of the country’s main sources of corruption (but are also, awkwardly, generally popular for keeping gas prices low) requires bold leadership of Jonathan, who is finishing his first year in office. Whether Nigeria descends into civil unrest, civil war or splits, or whether it reforms and Africa’s sleeping giant finally awakens, depends foremost on him.”

Thus goes the citation for President Goodluck Jonathan as he gets into the running for the first stage of the annual TIME Magazine 100 most influential people list, for 2012.

The magazine has set up an online poll, for readers to decide which global figures should make the list. The final decision is made based on the online poll and TIME’s editorial board.

The 206 contenders include United States President Barack Obama, his wife, Michelle: embattled French President Nicholas Sarkozy; Syrian President Bashar Assad; Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; British prime minister David Cameron; World Footballer of the Year 2011 Lionel Messi; Queen Elizabeth II; Senegalese musician, Youssou N’Dour; a slang, LMFAO; talkshow queen, Oprah Winfrey; Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg; U.S presidential candidates, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum; singers, Rihanna, Beyonce and Shakira; celebrity couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; American billionaire, Warren Buffet; media mogul, Rupert Murdoch; Burmese Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi;
and U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.

The online poll ends on April 6. The selected 100 will be published on TIME.com on April 17.

Just one more issue – is the president really just one year in office? Shouldn’t his stint as acting president count?

Anyway, what do you think? First Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the World Bank presidency and now our president. Good times?