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Akinwunmi Adesina and Another Tenure Well Deserved
By Eric Elezuo
“I will stay calm and resolute. I will not be distracted. No amount of lies can ever cover up the truth. Soon the truth will come out” – Akinwunmi Adesina
The re-election of the President of African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, for another five years tenure, has proved that challenges are created to build the man of honour. Much as detractors meant it for his downfall, posterity elevated the man of candour to a fame of indescribable height.
It is not every day that spotlessly honest Nigerians walk the space of leadership within the country’s administrative sphere. Akinwunmi Adesina is one Nigerian who has left the footprint of achievements, nostalgia, accomplishment and determination in the sands of time, culminating in his unequivocal acceptance by well meaning peoples of the earth, the distraction created by the United States of America notwithstanding.
Born to a Nigerian farmer in Ibadan, Oyo State, on February 6, 1960, Adesina attended a village school and graduated with a Bachelors in Agricultural Economics with First Class Honors from the University of Ife, Nigeria in 1981. He was basically the first student to be awarded this distinction by the university. He followed up his studies at Purdue University in Indiana, briefly returning to Nigeria in 1984 to get married.
Afterwards, he returned to school, obtaining his PhD (Agricultural Economics) in 1988 from Purdue, winning the Outstanding Ph.D Thesis for his research work in the bargain.
Adesina’s professional career kicked off proper in 1990, when he served as a Senior Economist at West African Rice Development Association (WARDA) in Bouaké, Ivory Coast. He served till 1995.
He worked at the Rockefeller Foundation since winning a fellowship from the Foundation as a senior scientist in 1988. From 1999 to 2003 he was the representative of the Foundation for the southern African area. And from 2003 until 2008, he was an Associate Director for food security.
In 2010, he was appointed Nigerian Agriculture Minister, a post he held till 2015 when the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan ended.
Adesina was named as Forbes African Man of the Year for his reform of Nigerian agriculture. He introduced more transparency into the fertiliser supply chain. He also said that he would give away mobile phones to farmers but this proved too difficult as a result of lack of mobile network in rural areas.
In 2010, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon appointed him as one of 17 global leaders to spearhead the Millennium Development Goals.
On May 28, 2015, just before he completed his tenure as the Nigerian Minister of Agriculture, a position he had held for four years, Adesina was elected the presumptive President of the African Development Bank. He began his tenure of the office on September 1 2015. He is the eighth president in the organization’s history, and the first Nigerian to hold the post.
On resumption at the AfDB, He launched a strategy based on energy, agriculture, industrialization, regional integration and bettering Africans’ lives. The Board of Executive Directors approved the reorganization of the structure around these five priorities.
In September 2016, Adesina was appointed by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to serve as member of the Lead Group of the Scaling Up Nutrition Movement.[10]
In 2017, he was awarded 2017 World Food Prize. Upon receiving the prize on October 21, 2017. Adesina donated the $250,000 he received to the development of African youth in agriculture. That is how generous and benevolent he is.
Adesina is not all work; he is reportedly very close to his God. While at Purdue University, he, his wife, along with another couple, started a Christian group called the African Student Fellowship. He and his wife Grace have two children, Rotimi and Segun.
As an Agricultural Economist, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has been a leader in agricultural innovation for over 30 years. He has contributed greatly to food security in Africa, aimed at improving the lives of millions currently living in poverty, throughout the African continent. The Sunhak Committee acknowledges Dr. Akinwumi Adesina’s achievements in promoting Good Governance of Africa, which boosts Africa’s capacity to feed itself and transform its total economies for generating wealth for millions of rural and poor African farmers.
At the Cape Town International Convention Center, the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee announced him as a co-winner of the 2019 Laureates for the Sunhak Peace Prize, the other person is Waris Dirie, 53 year-old world-class supermodel and anti-FGM activist.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina has been a leader in agricultural innovation in Africa for over 30 years, bringing great improvement to Africa’s food security. contributing to Africa’s dynamic growth. His leadership is building stepping-stones for Africa’s dynamic growth.
Chairman of the Sunhak Peace Prize Committee, Dr. Il Sik Hong, stated that “the Sunhak Peace Prize was established based upon the vision of “One Family Under God.” The 2019 Sunhak Peace Prize gives special attention to peace and human development in Africa.”
Dr. Hong added “in order for us to build an era of peace and coexistence in the 21st century, we want to encourage continuous development in Africa. Africa is a rising star and its growth will contribute global progress and development throughout the 21st century.”
The Sunhak Peace Prize honors individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to the peace and the welfare of the future generations. The Sunhak Peace Prize includes a cash prize totaling one million dollars. The 2019 Sunhak Peace Prize Award Ceremony will take place in February, 2019 in Seoul, Korea.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina pioneered major transformations in the agricultural field, including expanding rice production by introducing high yielding technologies, designing and implementing policies to support farmers’ access to technologies at scale, increasing the availability of credit for millions of smallholder farmers, attracting private investments for the agricultural sector, rooting out the corrupt elements in the fertilizer industry, and assisting in establishment of major agricultural policies for Africa’s green revolution.
The “Africa Fertilizer Summit,” which he organized in 2006, was one of the largest high-level meetings in Africa’s history that had a focus on solving Africa’s food issues. During this Summit, Dr. Adesina was instrumental in developing the “Abuja Declaration on Fertilizer for the African Green Revolution,” whereby the participants stated their commitment to the “eradication of hunger in Africa, by 2030.”
Dr. Adesina worked with various banks and international NGOs in order to create an innovative financing system, providing loans to small farmers, providing a way for them to rise out of poverty. This move leveraged $100 million in loans and provided opportunities for small farmers to increase their agricultural productivity, and their income.
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina currently serves as the president of the African Development Bank Group which plays a central role in Africa’s development. As an “economic commander” of Africa, he promotes the “High 5 Strategy” that include: light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialize Africa, integrate Africa and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa. As a result of his work, the lives of millions of people throughout Africa have been improved.
He was instrumental in gathering no fewer than 200 leading African political, business, and diplomatic leaders in Johannesburg for the 8th African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Award dinner. He was the cynosure of all eyes. Adesina’s achievements shone like a million stars as he was named and honored as the African of the Year 2019, the most popular vote-based third-party endorsement in Africa.
The event which was themed ‘Africa for Africans – Exploring the Gains of a Connected Continent’, brought together dignitaries including South African Deputy President, David D Mabuza, South AfricanMinisters Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Lindiwe Zulu, and Dr. Ken Giami, Publisher of African Leadership Magazine.
In the keynote speech he delivered on the night, Adesina’s passion for the continent was seen as palpable, connecting with the attentive audience. Much as he deserved the honour by every standard, he nonetheless expressed deep humility in being recognised, clasifying his giant strides as ‘modest achievements and contributions to Africa’.
“Humbled to be nominated by what I gather to be 60% of the votes cast by some 1 million people, humbled to be at the helm of an organisation that is making a tremendous difference across Africa – the African Development Bank. An organisation that is daily making prosperity a reality,” he said.
He dedicated the award to his wife, Grace, the Board, staff, and colleagues at the bank, his mother, and “to the young mothers, struggling to bring up a child, to the farmer in search of a better tomorrow, to the youth of Africa longing for a better future, and to Africa’s journalists who risk their lives in helping to tell Africa’s true story.”
Seen as the visionary behind the African Development Bank’s High 5 strategy, he noted that the primary focus of the African Development Bank is “to light up and power Africa, to feed Africa, to industrialise Africa, to integrate Africa, and to improve the quality of life of the people of Africa. Five simple, strategic, and highly focused objectives.” The truth is he has never reneged in achieving the feats.
The African Leadership Magazine Persons of the Year Awards is now the most popular vote-based third-party endorsement in Africa.
Under his leadership, the bank has helped 18 million people get electricity, 141 million people get agricultural technologies, 13 million people get finance through private sector investee companies, 101 million people get improved transport services, and 60 million people get better water and sanitation.
“Africa does not need anyone to believe in her or to affirm her place and position in history. Africa will and must develop with pride. For right on the inside of us, as Africans, lies our greatest instrument of successes: confidence!” Here is a man who loves Africa with an undying passion.
On January 16, 2020, Adesina came face to face with can arguably be termed the greatest challenge of his career if not his life when allegations of ethical breaches were leveled against him by whistleblowers with the backing of the United States of America. The complaint was conveniently leaked paving the way for assault and a smear campaign.
Consequently, a high powered Ethics Committee, comprising Executive Directors representing shareholder nations, deliberated over every single dot and cross of the allegations, and in May 2020 gave Adesina a clean bill of health. In their words, the allegations were frivolous, baseless, and without merit or evidence. The report and conclusive deliberations of the Ethics Committee was subsequently sent to all Finance Ministers, better referred to as Governors of the Bank’s 81 shareholder counties, including the United States for ratification.
Not even one of the allegations stuck, making the originators bow their faces in shame. A cross section of respondents told the Boss that Adesina would have to be removed as President of the Bank and made ineligible for re-election originally scheduled for May 2020 if one allegation has scaled through.
Adesina’s watertight innocent was upheld by almost everyone that has a voice from across his country of birth, Nigeria, and across Africa.
The Nigerian government protested that the governance procedures of the Bank during the investigation were followed to the letter including painstaking analysis of facts, evidence and documents. It noted that the whistleblowers were even prevailed upon to produce any more evidence at their disposal, but they failed they do so. It therefore, wondered at the sudden turnaround of the United States to call for another ‘independent investigation’.
“The Ethics Committee, following three months of work to examine the whistleblowers’ allegations made against the President, dismissed each and every one of the allegations of the whistleblowers against the President as unsubstantiated and baseless.
“The Nigerian Government welcomes this conclusion of the Ethics Committee and the decision of the Chair of the Board of Governors”, the statement read. The probe committee was headed by Takuji Yano, the institution’s Japanese Executive Director.
Towing the line of the Nigeria government, a former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, mobilised former African leaders to the rescue of the embattled president. In a letter, the former leader personally signed and copied about 13 former heads of state, cutting across all regions of Africa, Obasanjo proposed that the leaders jointly issue a press statement to support the laid down procedures embarked upon to evaluate the allegations against the President of the Bank.
Just as the Nigerian government, Obasanjo went further to highlight Adesina’s achievements, noting that under his leadership AfDB “has been actively positioned as an effective global institution ranked fourth globally in terms of transparency among 45 multilateral and bilateral institutions.”
Other achievements include taking bold measures to ensure the bank can respond proactively to support African countries and got its board of directors to approve a $10 billion crisis response facility to support African countries during the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as successfully launching a $53 billion ‘Fight COVID-19’ social impact bond on the international capital market at 0.75 per cent interest rate.”
Africa Leaders, on their part, under the aegis of Concerned African Leaders, released a statement titled Leadership of the African Development Bank: A Need for Caution, announcing their solidarity with Adesina, stating inter alia:
“The African Development Bank is a pride for all of Africa, and its President, Dr. Adesina, has taken the Bank to enviable heights. At this critical time that Africa is battling with COVID-19, the Bank and its President should not be distracted.”
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, personally assured him that he would stand by him, and was so elated at the announcement of his reelection, saying ‘you deserve it’. He also thanked the African Union for its endorsement of Adesina, and to the shareholders of the bank.
Also on the trail of congratulatory messages were former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Femi Gbajabiamila among others.
Adesina has been fearless in the discharge of his duties, creating many firsts and stepping on supposedly powerful toes.
“In 2019, he successfully led the Bank’s shareholder General Capital Increase from $93 billion to $208 billion. In the process, he became the first Bank President to take the risk of championing a case for increasing capital for Africa’s development during a first term in office. It was a gambit that paid off in spite of initial strong American opposition.
“In 2018, Adesina championed and helped create the Bank-sponsored Africa Investment Forum which in 2018 and 2019 attracted more than $80 billion in infrastructure investment interests into the continent. This was an unprecedented initiative. The U.S. representative was said to have considered the Forum a departure from the Bank’s original mandate. Some also saw this as an attempt by Adesina to help wean African nations off a dependency on foreign aid. Some critics also suggested that Adesina was attempting to burnish his credentials among African Heads of State via the investment forum.
In the next five years, when his tenure will climax, the accomplished technocrat and reputable entrepreneur is sure to quadruple his achievements of the last five years.
Courtesy: TheBoss
The recent US presidential election should be praised for its credibility and peaceful conduct. The election serves as a model for Nigeria, highlighting the importance of free, fair and transparent polls, according to the publisher of online platform, Bluefames Media, Mr. Victor Udoh
The US election saw Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, emerge victorious over Democrat, vice president Kamala Harris. Trump secured 270 electoral votes, surpassing Harris’s votes.
While congratulating Trump on his victory, Udoh noted that the election’s smooth process, devoid of issues like ballot box snatching, violence and technical glitches.
In contrast, Nigeria’s electoral process often faces challenges, including delays, vote-buying and disputes over results, he lamented. Udoh emphasized the need for Nigeria to learn from the US example, ensuring credible elections that reflect the will of the people.
He said: “Nigerians and the international community monitored the outcomes of the US election. You could see that the US electoral process demonstrates the value of credible and peaceful elections, which experience Nigeria can draw lessons from to improve its own electoral system.
“By embracing transparency, accountability and peaceful conduct, Nigeria can strengthen its democracy and ensure governance that truly represents the people’s will.”
Udoh, a publicist and motivator, pointed out that learning from the US experience, Nigeria can address its electoral weaknesses and foster a more robust democracy, which in turn, can lead to better governance, economic growth and improved living standards for Nigerians.
“Nigeria must prioritize electoral reform and transparency to ensure that its citizens’ voices are heard and valued,” he stressed.
He, however, warned that “a second Trump term may have significant implications for global issues like dollar value, immigration, energy and geopolitical stability.”
Victor Udoh is the publisher of online platform, Bluefames Media
“The revered traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom, His Royal Majesty Obi Dr. Ifechukwude Aninshi Okonjo II, faces new and intensifying threats as landgrabbers and dissidents launch a smear campaign, weaponizing baseless accusations to discredit his ongoing efforts to secure Ogwashi-Uku’s land and bring justice. This orchestrated attack on the Obi includes recent petitions to the Department of State Services (DSS) accusing him of land grabbing and other unsubstantiated claims, further amplified in the media.
“Spearheading these efforts are Mazi Elue Adigwe, Collins Afuwah, Hycinth Okolie, and Ugo Emordi, whose credibility is under serious question given their own alleged criminal backgrounds.
“These individuals were involved in an attack on the Obi himself in October 2023, when they reportedly stormed his palace with firearms, a violent act which has led to terrorism charges filed against them at the Federal High Court in Asaba. This assault is not an isolated incident; in 2022, during a royal visit to Otulu Ogwashi-Uku, the Obi and his entourage were ambushed by a faction led by Francis Odiwanor, who is linked to these dissidents. The attackers, reportedly trying to distance Otulu from Ogwashi-Uku and obscure extensive land transactions, set vehicles in the Obi’s entourage ablaze and violently molested numerous individuals accompanying him.
“The Palace Secretary, Prince Ifeakanachukwu Emordi, condemned the recent allegations as “false, malicious, and part of a longstanding agenda.” Prince Emordi highlighted how these individuals have, for years, peddled baseless stories about the Obi, including false claims of a “killer squad” and fabricated accusations of kidnapping. “This is yet another attempt to distract from the Obi’s mission to root out lawlessness and secure communal resources,” Emordi stated.
“The Obi’s role as custodian of Ogwashi-Uku’s land has led to groundbreaking initiatives, including the unprecedented distribution of nearly 2,000 free plots to Ogwashians—a transformative step to ensure the land benefits the community directly. However, his pursuit of a fair, equitable society has provoked resistance from entrenched groups who have long profited from illegal land sales, pocketing proceeds meant for the community.
“HRM Obi Ifechukwude Okonjo II has also dedicated significant resources to local infrastructure and security. New transformers are being installed to improve power access, water restoration projects are underway, and security measures have been bolstered to safeguard residents. According to the Palace Secretary, five transformers have been supplied by the Obi in Council to various communities in Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom.
“Diokpa John Emordi, a community elder, voiced his support, stating, “The Obi’s authority over Ogwashi-Uku’s land is undisputed and longstanding. These accusations are a thinly veiled attempt to undermine him and disrupt his reforms. The Obi remains committed to protecting our kingdom from landgrabbers and criminal elements.”
“As the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku persists in his vision of justice and prosperity, he stands resilient against these retaliatory threats. Despite adversities, the community supports the Obi’s mission and his unwavering resolve to transform Ogwashi-Uku Kingdom into a place of security, equity, and progress.”
From the time that Bello Matawalle was nominated as Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023, Dauda Lawal the Governor of Zamfara State has been ill at ease.
The circumstances of his victory at the gubernatorial election as well as subsequent victory at the Election petition Tribunal did not give room for sound sleep. He knew that when pushing comes to shoving, the former Governor held the aces in the State politically.
Dauda Lawal having realised that it would be difficult to keep Matawalle’s new influence under check as Minister of State for Defence hatched another plan after his first moves to indict him through the cargo Airport controversy.This was to hoodwink a former aides to Matawalle who could provide information on his activities while in government.
This was what led to the unveiling of Bashir Hadejia, who we will dwell on later in the write-up
The original plan was to paint Bello Matawalle black over his achievements as Governor of Zamfara between 2019 and 2023. This however failed flat as the people of the state knew the legacies he left. And so they were not buying into that. After failing to achieve this, Dauda Lawal Dare thought out other plans.
Our sources believe that the Zamfara Governor connected with the former Jigawa Governor who is presently the Minister of Defence and both of them agreed that it was in their interests to cut Matawalle to size because of his looming influence and good relationship with President Bola Tinubu.
They found a willing tool in Jackson Ude, a former presidential aide to Jonathan. Jackson Ude is a Nigerian journalist who has made a name for himself as a blackmailer. Not less than twenty different top Nigerians, including the DG of World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala have either taken him to court and won or sued him.
Jackson Ude has since become a major ally of Zamfara Governor, Dauda Lawal. Together, they allegedly decided that the best way to tackle Matawalle growing influence in the Tinubu government was to continue to label him as backing the bandits and terrorists terrorizing the State he once governed.
Bello Matawalle’s rise in status and having become the poster boy of the Tinubu administration’s success in the Defence sector did not make his co-minister, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar comfortable. What you don’t have, you cannot give.
Many sources in the media confirmed that the two Ministers seemed to be opposites hence it was only a matter of time that their differences became obvious. According to our sources, while Matawalle would come to state what the Ministry was doing and encourage the troops and it’s leadership to do more, Badaru has never been a man who wanted visibility. He has always been too taciturn and withdrawn, as if sulking. So when the story came out that he was not too happy with the Minister of State for taking the shine off him, and aligning with Dauda Lawal to undermine Matawalle, not many people doubted it.
Sources claimed Badaru has grouses, with Tinubu appointing him as Defence Minister and not putting the Chiefs of Staff under him. It was also alleged that he was angry with the president because he wanted the FCT Ministry portfolio, which was given to Nyesom WIKE, a non- partyman. Abubakar Badaru, according to our sources felt he should have been given the portfolio of the FCT Ministry because he dropped his presidential ambition to support Tinubu when the President indicated interest in contesting.
Our source further revealed that Badaru, and Governor Lawal have teamed up to work and ensure that Matawalle is frustrated out of the Tinubu government so as to further dent whatever achievements the Tinubu government can claim to have while also denting Matawalle’s achievements.
Governor Lawal’s romance with terrorists is well known in the State despite all the air of arrogance he surrounds himself with as several pictures of his meetings and discussion abound everywhere on the social media.Impeccable sources gathered that Bello Turji works for the Zamfara Governor and the friends and allies of the bandits leader know this.
Sources confided in us that this is why it has been impossible for Bello Turji to be captured or killed as the State government virtually protects him, leaks information about troops movement if they have them and also support them with logistics. This explains why he makes so much noise and boasts of his invincibility.
Bello Turji’s MEN and other bandit leaders are also said to enjoy the same status as he enjoys..
Our sources also confirmed that Turji and a few other top bandits work for Dauda Lawal by ensuring his firm grip on the mining business in Zamfara.
Through them, the governor is alleged to have controlled a large chunk of the mining fields and also collected royalties on the governor’s behalf.
It is even alleged in some circles that some of the late bandits leaders eliminated by the military in its recent onslaught were bagkeepers for the governor who kept his money especially from the mines hence the reason why he was not too happy with their death and their elimination was not celebrated by the state.
Our sources also linked a powerful former NSA from the state with the gold mining business in the state. According to the sources, because of their vested interest, the powerful NSA who retired from the military as a general would do anything to ensure that his mining interests are protected in Zamfara hence the move to support the Governor and ensure that the top bandits who protect their vested interests are not touched. These gang-up believe that any attempt by Matawalle to upset the applecart in the mining sectors of the state will affect their vested interests since it is the bandits who are protecting their interests there and they need the continued presence of the bandits to ward off government prying eyes.
The implications of all these are germane here.
Key stakeholders in Zamfara state who ordinarily should be working for the success of the military are working at cross-purposes with the security apparatus of the state. They are not ready to allow the
security agencies operate. Rather, they work against them. They not only do this, they give out information against the security agencies to bandits and terrorists who through this organise ambushes for the security agencies all ina bid to paint the Minister of State Defence in bad light as well as maintain their strangle hold on the mining sector in the state.
Frightening Dimensions
The recruitment of Bashir Hadejia as well as the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, into this dastardly group constitutes a frightening dimensions to a problem that was hitherto localized. Our sources revealed that Bashir Hadejia was born in Niger Republic and maintains a home there just like the Defence Minister Abubakar Badaru. Having worked with Bello Matawalle, he understands the workings of the former Governor’s network as well as what he did to curb the excesses of the bandits while in power.
That Bashir Hadejia, working with Governor Dauda Lawal were able to cladenstinely sponsor anti- Nigerian protests during the August 1-10 protests in Nigeria signify the extent of their hatred for the country and its constitued authority. Though they set out to embarrass the Minister of State for Defence, and by implications the Tinubu government, the move showed the extent the Dauda Lawal gang-up could go in portraying Matawalle in bad light and their cause. Having recruited a notorious journalist who does not operate in the country, yet spews outright lies and also thrive on blackmail, no wonder they have dominated the cyber space with unverifiable stories upon stories against the Minister of State, Bello Matawalle.
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