Akinwumi Adesina served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture for many years under former President Goodluck Jonathan before he was elected President, African Development Bank, AfDB, with his integrity intact as a honest public servant.
He’s now under the searchlight of the United states government to prove that he has not violated the codes of conduct of his office since he became the bank’s chief executive, after being accused by some staff of the bank of gross misconduct.
The worried staff had accused him of “unethical conduct, private gain, an impediment to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities,” prompting an investigation by the Board of the AfDB which later exonerated him of the allegations.
On May 5, the ethics committee of AfBD, headed by Takuji Yano, discharged Adesina of the charges and pronounced him not guilty on all counts.
But the US government has rubbished the not-guilty verdict on Adesina and has now demanded a fresh and in-depth investigation to be carried out by an independent investigator.
The US is strong partner of the bank and has contributed billions of dollars in funds and aid since It joined the bank in 1983.
In a letter dated May 22, 2020 to Ms Kaba, the U.S. government, through the Secretary, Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C., said the committee did a shoddy job and was very hasty in its decision to totally exonerate Adesina of all allegations.
The US said in the letter that “We have deep reservations about the integrity of the Committee’s process. Instead, we urge you to initiate an in-depth investigation of the allegations using the services of an independent outside investigator of high professional standing.
We emphasise that undertaking an independent evaluation of facts, at any stage, is not at odds with a presumption of innocence.
The allegations set out in the whistleblowers’ complaints submitted on January 19, 2020 raised significant issues that all relevant governing bodies of the Bank must handle with the utmost care, using all tools available to them.’
The United States government said there are enough facts to prove that Adesina abused his office.
“Had the Ethics Committee undertaken a proper preliminary examination that was in line with the Board of Governors Resolution B/BG/2008/11, standard practices at other international financial institutions, and the Bank’s own rules and procedures, it would have reviewed available facts that could be gathered by external counsel and found in internal Bank records.
We fear that wholesale dismissal of all allegations without appropriate investigation will tarnish the reputation of this institution as one that does not uphold high standards of ethics and governance,’ the letter said.
It said the reputation of the continental bank is at stake except Adesina is able to prove his innocence beyond reasonable doubt that the allegations were false.
We believe “This is a serious risk when we need strong confidence in the AfDB to play an influential role in the current global economic and health crisis, and when many shareholders are seeking legislative support for payments under the recently-concluded General Capital Increase.
Therefore, the United States cannot support dismissing the allegations at this stage. We believe the Board of Governors must demonstrate that this institution takes governance, anti-corruption, and transparency seriously.
We thus request that you take steps to initiate an impartial, independent investigation into these allegations. Whatever the outcome, the AfDB will emerge stronger for having taken seriously its obligations to uphold good governance.
The United States sincerely wishes the AfDB to remain a high-quality institution with the capability to address the needs of the African continent, particularly at this critical time.
Considering the scope, seriousness, and detail of these allegations against the sole candidate for Bank leadership over the next five years, we believe that further inquiry is necessary to ensure the AfDB’s President has broad support, confidence, and a clear mandate from shareholders,” the US government said.
The US has donated billions of dollars to the Bank after becoming a member 37 years ago, one of AfDB’s single biggest financial contributor of all times, analysts say.
Meanwhile, the former Agriculture Minister has insisted that he’s innocent of the allegations.
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