AfDB: President Muhammadu Buhari Nominates Adesina for Re-election

• AfDB: President Muhammadu Buhari Nominates Adesina for Re-election

The president of the African Development Bank, Akinwumi Adesina, has been nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari for re-election.

Adesina disclosed this when he received the Emeka-Anyaoku Life-Time Achievement Award on Sunday in Lagos.

According to the AfDB boss, when he was asked by former President Goodluck Jonathan to lead the Nigerian Agricultural sector, he served to the best of his ability.

He said, “With the strong support of former President Jonathan and the then President-elect, Buhari, we campaigned very hard for the position of the president of the AfDB.

“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.

“It was a national effort as we received support from former presidents and heads of state such as General Abdusalam Abubakar, General Yakubu Gowon, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, Namadi Sambo, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who ran a spirited campaign for me.”

He, however, said he worked hard as the president of the African Development Bank in the last four years.

He said, “We have gone some way climbing the steep mountainside of Africa’s development, yet there’s still much way to go until we reach the mountaintop.

“Nigeria, again, is giving me air in my lungs, to keep on climbing. I wish to immensely thank and appreciate President Buhari for nominating me for a second term for re-election as president of the AfDB and for being such a wonderful champion and supporter of my re-election.”