AfDB presidency: Jonathan joins Buhari, others to congratulate Adesina

Immediate past President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has congratulated President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina by the Board of Governors of the Bank over his reelection to another five years term.

The Nigerian former minister of agriculture was on Thursday re-elected as AfDB president for another five-year term. He was re-elected at the annual general meeting of the AfDB Board of Directors held in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

Adesina’s re-election comes after a rocky battle to secure his seat having faced internal and external probes for alleged favoritism.

Dr. Ebele Jonathan in a statement personally signed by him, said he was proud of Adesina because he has remained consistent as a man of vision and considerable capacity; traits he generously put to use while serving as a key member of his administration’s economic team and minister of agriculture.

“His first term as President of AfDB brought about exemplary leadership, significant achievements and broken records, especially with the bank’s recent unprecedented capital increase by 125% to $208 billion.

“With his re-election and focus on infrastructural development, youth empowerment and regional integration, I believe that AfDB will continue to strongly reflect the voice, vision and aspirations of the founding fathers of the Bank,” he added.

He also urged Dr. Adesina to deploy his astute managerial skill to ensure that the positive impact of the Bank’s development initiatives is felt across the continent.

In another goodwill message, President Muhammadu Buhari congratulated Dr. Adesina on his re-election.

In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the president said Adesina deserved his re-election as the multilateral lender’s helmsman.

According to the statement, the news of Adesina’s victory came during the Council of State meeting, which was attended by former Heads of State, Presidents of the Senate, state governors, some ministers, and senior government officials.