President Muhammadu Buhari has
nominated Akinwunmi Adesina for a second term as the president of African
Development Bank (AfDB).
Adesina made this known on Sunday
while receiving the Emeka Anyaoku lifetime achievement award presented to him
by the Hallmark of Labour Foundation.
This comes ahead of the bank’s
election scheduled to hold in 2020.
“When asked by former President
Goodluck Jonathan to serve as Minister of Agriculture, it was duty calling me
to the land of my birth,” he said.
“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.
“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.
“The nation jubilated as I became
the first-ever Nigerian to be elected President of the bank since its
establishment in 1964.
“Once again, Nigeria gave me air
in my lungs.”
Addressing journalists at the end
of the bank’s annual meeting in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the 60-year-old had
announced his intentions to contest for a second term in office.
“I will run as a candidate to
complete the work we have started,” he had said.
“I understand my
responsibilities. I do not work for myself. I work with all of my body to fast
track the development of this continent with the support of our donors.
“I am driven by Africa and it is
not a chore for me.”
Listing the progress made by the
bank during his first term, the Obafemi Awolowo University graduate said 16
million people have been provided access to electricity and 70 million,
improved agricultural technologies.
“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.”
In 2017, Adesina was awarded the
World Food Prize for his contributions to agricultural development.
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