President Muhammadu Buhari has endorsed and nominated the President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina for a second term ahead of the bank’s election scheduled to hold in 2020.
This was disclosed at an award ceremony organized by the Hallmark of Labour Foundation yesterday where Adesina clinched the Emeka Anyaoku lifetime achievement award.
Gladdened by the development, Adesina took to the stage to share how the dream began. He noted that the opportunity first began under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s tenure where he was made to serve as Minister of Agriculture.
“When asked by former President Goodluck Jonathan to serve as Minister of Agriculture, it was duty calling me to the land of my birth. I served Nigeria to the very best of my ability. I thank God that Nigeria’s agriculture sector witnessed a much-needed transformation at the time. With the strong support of President Jonathan and the then President-elect, Buhari, we campaigned very hard for the position of the President of the African Development Bank.”
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“It was a Nigeria effort, as all hands were on deck. This included our former presidents and heads of state, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice-Presidents Atiku Abubakar and Namadi Sambo, and of course my dear indefatigable sister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who ran a spirited campaign for me. By God’s grace, I was elected President of the African Development Bank on May 28, 2015, exactly 24 hours after my term of office as minister ended,” he said.
Reeling out a list of his achievements in his first term, Adesina noted that 16 million people had been provided access to electricity. “We have also given nine million people access to finance from private sector companies, provided 55 million people with access to improved transport, and 31 million people with access to water and sanitation. In all, 181 million people have directly benefited from our investments. I am proud of all my staff and the Board of Directors whose hard work and relentless support have helped make this happen. The African Development Bank has continued to maintain its global AAA rating. Last year, the bank was rated the 4th most transparent institution globally,” he added.
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With these achievements, Adesina announced his intentions to contest for a second term in office. He hoped it would complete the work he started at the bank. He also pledged his support to work hard to fast track the development of the African continent with the support of donors.
Samson Oyedeyi
