AfDB Succumbs to Pressure, Orders Fresh Independent Probe of Adesina

• AfDB Succumbs to Pressure, Orders Fresh Independent Probe of Adesina

The African Development Bank has finally succumbed to U.S pressure to conduct a fresh independent probe into the activities of Akinwumi Adesina at AfDB.

The decision was taken at the meeting held by the Bureau of Board of Governors, AfDB, on Thursday.

In April, a group of concerned staff of AfDB had accused President Akinwumi Adesina of violating the code of conduct of the institution and trying to Nigerianise the bank.

However, the ethics committee of the bank headed by Takuji Yano, a Japanese executive director, declared the allegations against the President ‘spurious and unfounded’ and cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The United States, one of the directors, expressed “deep reservations about the integrity of the committee’s process” and pushed for fresh independent probe tagged “in-depth investigation of the allegations.”

A position immediately rejected by the supporters of Adesina and even the Nigerian government, the largest shareholder of the institution. Several other individuals and past leaders of the bank took to social media to voice their support for Adesina and described the U.S. refusal to accept the report of the ethics committee as concerning and capable of hurting the bank’s structure.

In the communique signed by Niale Kaba, the Chairperson of the Bureau of the Board of Governors, the governors said:

“The Bureau reiterates that it agrees that the Ethics Committee of the Boards of Directors performed its role on this matter in accordance with the applicable rule under Resolution B/BG/2008/11 of the Board of Governors.

“The Bureau also reiterates that the Chairperson of the Bureau of the Board of Governors performed her role in accepting the findings of the Ethics Committee in accordance with the said Resolution.

“However, based on the views of some Governors on the matter and the need to carry every Governor along in resolving it, the Bureau agrees to authorize an Independent Review of the Report of the Ethics Committee of the Boards of Directors relative to the allegations considered by the Ethics Committee and the submissions made by the President of the Bank Group thereto in the interest of due process.

“The Independent Review shall be conducted by a neutral high calibre individual with unquestionable experience, high international reputation and integrity within a short time period of not more than two to four weeks maximum, taking the Bank Group’s electoral calendar into account.

“The Bureau agrees that, within a three to six month period and following the independent review of the Ethics Committee Report, an independent comprehensive review of the implementation of the Bank Group’s Whistle-Blowing and Complaints Handling Policy should be conducted with a view to ensuring that the Policy is properly implemented, and revising it where necessary, to avoid situations of this nature in the future.”