*AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina and President Muhammadu Buhari exchange greetings the Coronavirus (COVID-19) way because of social distancing protocol
- AfDB President visits President Buhari
- Some foreign interests against Adesina’s candidacy
- AfDB President insists he is innocent of all allegations
Ahead of his reelection as President of Africa’s top bank, Nigerian born Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina, the incumbent President of the Africa Development Bank (AfDB) met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday in the company of Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama and the newly appointed Chief of Staff to the President Prof. Ibrahim Gambari. When the meeting, which lasted for about 45 minutes ended, Mr. Adesina refused to speak with State House correspondents.
This meeting, will not be unconnected with a petition by a group of whistle-blowers against Adesina, accusing him of breaching AfDB’s code of conduct, some of which include private gains, impediments to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities. The group, which noted that their allegations were in line with AfDB’s whistleblowing policy, which the bank’s president is aware of, said these activities adversely affected the confidence and integrity of the bank under the leadership of the Nigerian top banker.
But the Adesina, who had served Nigeria as a Minister of Agriculture where he did outstandingly well has continued to maintain his innocence. He said, “I maintain my innocence with regard to trumped-up allegations that unjustly seek to impugn my honour and integrity, as well as the reputation of the African Development Bank,” Adesina said recently while responding to the accusations.
However, Buhari has assured Dr. Adesina of Nigeria’s support in his bid to seek a second term in office as the President of the AfDB. It is on record that Nigerian government under the Buhari administration has continued to rally support for Adesina. Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed in a letter urged the board of the AfDB to ignore calls for an independent investigation of Mr. Adesina. Nigeria’s Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo in a communique also called on the board of AfDB to ignore calls for an independent investigation of Adesina by the US treasury secretary.
The African Union on the other hand endorsed the incumbent AfDB President as the sole candidate for the continent, but some other stakeholders have held the opinion that Dr. Adesina should be re-investigated over some allegations, and rendered ineligible to run. Dr. Adesina while giving a background on the development at the AfDB, explained that the 16 allegations raised against him were trumped up, “and without facts, evidence, and documents, as required by the rules and regulations of the bank.” He added that while the Ethics Committee of the bank cleared him of all the allegations, a fresh investigation was called for.
