President Buhari Backs Adesina for a Second-Term in Office Amid Probe

• President Buhari Backs Adesina for a Second-Term in Office Amid Probe

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday throws his weight behind the embattled President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, who served as Nigeria’s minister of agriculture in 2015.

A group that called itself concerned staff of AfDB had accused its president, Akinwumi Adesina of abuse of office and trying to Nigerianise the African bank.

The president, who denied any wrongdoing, was cleared by the bank’s ethics committee in May. However, the U.S, one of the bank’s shareholders, rejected the outcome of the committee and called for an external investigation into the activities of Adesina at AfDB.

The blatant disrespect for the bank’s structure led to a division between shareholders as some support the embattled president while others mostly European shareholders support the US Treasury Secretary, Steve Mnuchin’s position for a fresh investigation.

President Muhammadu Buhari has, however, declared his support for Adesina, the man who revolutionised the African Development Bank and increased its capital base from $115 billion to $208 billion within four years.

“President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria will stand solidly behind Dr Akinwumi Adesina in his bid to get re-elected as President of the African Development Bank,” a statement from Buhari’s office said.

The same statement quoted Adesina as saying the allegations levelled against him are baseless.

“I was exonerated, and any other investigation would amount to bending the rules of the bank, to arrive at a predetermined conclusion,” Adesina said.