President Muhammadu Buhari has felicitated with President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, on his re-election for a second term in office.
The president’s congratulatory message was conveyed by Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Thursday.
He said the news of the victory came during the Council of State meeting, which was attended by former heads of state, Senate President, governors, former Chief Justices of Nigeria, some Ministers, and senior government officials.
As Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, announced the good news, President Buhari led a round of applause, and declared: “He deserves it.”
Buhari extended appreciation to the African Union for its endorsement of the AfDB President much earlier, and to shareholders of the bank who worked tirelessly to ensure the return of the visionary leader.
According to him, Adesina’s versatility, experience at both national and international engagements, will be further deployed to energize the pan-African financial institution.
He urged Adesina to remain focused and steadfast in pursuing the noble goals of making life better for Africans through various development plans, already captured as High 5s.
The president rejoiced with family, friends and professional colleagues of Adesina over the re-election.
He also commended members of staff and Board of Governors of the AfDB for their consistent support for the former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and his management team.
While pledging full support of his government to ensure a successful tenure for the AfDB leadership, Buhari prayed that the Almighty God would continue to strengthen Adesina and his team for greater good to the continent.
ICYMI –
Akinwumi Adesina has been re-elected as President of the Africa Development Bank AfDB for a second term of five years. The election took place electronically at the virtual annual general meeting of the bank on Thursday August 27.
In 2015, Adesina, the son of a farming family, became the first Nigerian to head the bank, one of the world’s five biggest multilateral lenders and an important but often unseen player in economic development.
He gained international recognition last October when the AfDB under his leadership, secured $115 billion (105 billion euros) in funding pledges, a move that doubled its capital and cemented its triple-A credit rating.
His re-election almost suffered a setback after some staff of the bank accused him of breaching 20 of the bank’s code of conduct, including “unethical conduct, private gain, an impediment to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities”.
He denied the allegations and an investigation panel cleared him of all the allegations.