Adesina: Africa Fights Back; Assembles Squad

By Adesina Soyooye

The embattled President of the African Development Bank, AfDB, Nigeria’s Akinwumi Adesina, got a solid support from former African Heads of Government.

Angry, and feeling utterly insulted, at the inexplicable plan to humiliate Adesina out of the bank, the former Heads of Goverment, in a letter warned of the  dangers, calling on Africans not to succumb to the blackmail.

In the past couple of months, Adesina has been battling allegations of favouritism and untidy businesses, threatening to derail his second term bid. He vehemently denies the allegations, and was found clean when the Ethics Committee of the bank, set up by the Board of Governors, investigated him.

But out of the blues, the Government of the United States of America, raised an objection, rejecting the clean bill given to Adesina, and insisting on the setting-up of an independent body to conduct a fresh investigation. This request is alien to the bank, which has always relied on its Ethics Committee, for such alleged offences.

Adesina says he is innocent of the allegations, dismisses them as trumped-up and funny, and insists they have everything to do with his bid for a second term. The US does not want him because he is allegedly, not kowtowing to their whims and caprices.

A couple of days ago, former Nigeria’s President, Olusegun Obasanjo, had in a letter, rallied his African colleagues to stand up against the plan to humiliate Adesina and avoid the hijacking of the bank. They agree with Obasanjo.

On Friday, the Leaders, including another former Nigeria’s President, Goodluck Jonathan, under whom Adesina served as Minister for Agriculture, issued a strongly-worded statement decrying the deliberate efforts to rubbish one of Africa’s best.

Standing by Adesina, just as the AfDB Board of Governors,  the former Heads of Government, flaunted his unprecedented landmark  achievements at the bank, declaring that the AfDB has never had it so good.

Following, the statement, signed by the former Heads of Government, and endorsed by others.

The Press Statement by African Leaders on Dr_ Adesina Leadership of AfDB