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Tag: Adesina

  • BREAKING: Adesina reelected AfDB president

    BREAKING: Adesina reelected AfDB president

    Former Minister of Agriculture, Akinwumi Adesina has been re-elected as the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) President for a second five-year term.

    The election took place electronically on Thursday at the virtual annual general meeting of the bank.

    According to reports, Adesina’s reappointment on Thursday at the helm of the 56-year-old bank is considered a formality as he is the sole candidate.

    Adeshina’s reelection was confirmed on Twitter by President Muhammadu Buhari’s Personal Assistant on New Media, Lauretta Onochie via her handle @@Laurestar.

    https://twitter.com/Laurestar/status/1298917283495059456?s=20

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that Adesina had on Wednesday canvassed for a second term in office after a months-long storm over alleged corruption and poor governance that ended after he was cleared in an independent probe.

    In a speech at the AfDB’s annual meetings, Adesina formally requested a second term as president, declaring that he was “doing it with an acute sense of duty and commitment.”

    “I do it to serve Africa and our bank, in an unbiased way, to the best of the abilities that God has given me,” he said, according to a statement issued by the bank.

  • NBA admits elections flawed but can’t be cancelled

    NBA admits elections flawed but can’t be cancelled

    The Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has admitted the elections that produced Olumide Akpata as President were not perfect but cannot be cancelled “in the overall interest of the Bar”.

    A presidential candidate Dele Adesina (SAN), who came a distant third, had petitioned NBA BoT to cancel the election, citing several infractions.

    Adesina alleged “classical electronic fraud, illegal and unconstitutional process” and called on the NBA BoT to cancel the election.

    He further alleged the appointment of the service provider for the NBA 2020 election was done solely by the NBA president and the voter list was not released by Election Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (ECNBA) until five hours to the election, in violation of the NBA Constitution.

    According to him, there was also “predetermined data on the election site and disenfranchisement of about 14,000 prospective voters,” “manipulation and padding of voters list in that it contained 4,464 names of purported lawyers without branches;” erroneous tagging of 86 names of lawyers under the category ‘International Diaspora’, inflation of list at some branches, among others.”

    But NBA BoT, in a reply to Adesina, noted his petition dated August 2, 2020 raised issues of serious concerns about the conduct of the election which held electronically between July 29 and 30, 2020 but urged him to overlook the failings of the poll in the spirit of cohesion of the body of lawyers.

    The BoT’s reply dated August 19, 2020 by its chairman, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), a former President of the NBA, said: “The Trustees have given careful consideration and deeply reflected on your petition and all the responses, in particular that of ECNBA (Election Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association).

    “We note that the elections were not perfect. We reviewed your petition and note that it raises serious issues. Nonetheless, our advice will be the overall interest of the Bar should be paramount on the mind of every Nigerian lawyer and to that extent, we urge that all lawyers and no less the candidates be mindful of the need to promote a cohesive united and strong Bar.

    “We regret that we are unable to advise that the election should be cancelled in the overall interest of the Bar.”

  • RevolutionNow protest irritating- Adesina

    RevolutionNow protest irritating- Adesina

    The Presidency has said the #RevolutionNow protests that held in different parts of the state on Wednesday were a mere child’s play and an irritation.

     

    The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, made this statement on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday.

     

    Adesina said the protests were carried out by only a few youths out of the 200 million Nigerians in the country.

     

    He said, “Well, was it really a protest? By my estimation, it just seemed like a child’s play because protests by their very nature are spontaneous things, mass things. These are just a sprinkle of people trying to be funny. As far as I am concerned, it is nothing to worry about.

     

    “A revolution is always a mass thing, not a sprinkle of young boys and girls you saw yesterday in different parts of the country. I think it was just a funny thing to call it a revolution protest.”

     

     

    When questioned if it was right for the Presidency to talk down on young Nigerians for protesting, Adesina remained adamant, maintaining that the rallies were nothing but irritation and he had a right to his opinion.

     

    “In a country of 200 million people and if you see a sprinkle of people saying they are doing a revolution, it was a child’s play,” he said.

     

    Speaking further, the anchor asked if the government determines the significance of a protest only by its size, Adesina responded, “Well, it will always matter because if you said it was a revolution, revolutions by definition are quite well known.

     

     

    “Revolution is something that turns the normal order. What happened yesterday, would you call it a revolution? It was just an irritation, just an irritation and some people want to cause irritation in the country and what I will say is when things boil over, they boil over because you continue to heat them.

     

     

     

    “When you see pockets of heating up in the country, eventually they culminate in a boiling over. So, Nigerians need to know that the country we get is what we use our hands to build.”

     

    The president’s spokesperson said the issues the protesters were demonstrating about such as insecurity, corruption, poverty, and rights abuse were not strange to Nigeria and so the protests were misguided.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • AfDB President Adesina, wife mark 36th wedding anniversary

    AfDB President Adesina, wife mark 36th wedding anniversary

    President of African Development Bank (AfD), Akinwumi Adesina, celebrated his 36th wedding anniversary with his wife, Grace.

    Adesina, a former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in a tweet on Tuesday night, attributed all that he has achieved to his wife whom he described as “the best”.

    He said: “Today my darling wife and I celebrate our 36th wedding anniversary. Marrying my wife, Grace (Yemisi) is the best decision I made in my life. I would not be who I am today without her. I love you my sweetheart. I will marry you 36 years over. You are the best!”

    Akinwumi Adesina and wife then

    Adesina and his wife, while at Purdue University, along with another couple, started a Christian group called the African Student Fellowship.

    Akinwumi Adesina and Yemisi

    The pair got married in 1984 and have two children, Rotimi and Segun.

    Adesina became the first Nigerian to hold the post of AfD President after his election in 2015.

  • Alleged corruption: Buhari congratulates Adesina after clearance by AfDB panel

    Alleged corruption: Buhari congratulates Adesina after clearance by AfDB panel

    President Muhammadu Buhari has rejoiced with President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, following his exoneration by a panel of the board of directors.

    Adesina had been in the eye of the storm over allegations by an anonymous group.

    Buhari said Adesina’s exoneration by an AfDB panel headed by Mary Robinson has further validated his competence and integrity to lead the institution.

    President Buhari congratulated AfDB Board of Directors, the Ethics Committee and members of staff for their courage, maturity and patience in following through the process of investigations.

    He also congratulated them for the acceptance of the Report of Panel of High-Level Independent Experts, which reviewed the Report of Ethics Committee of AfDB, and Dr Adesina’s response.

    The President commended the eminent personalities, consisting of Mary Robinson, Justice Hassan B. Jallow and Leonard F. McCarthy, who handled the review of the report of the Ethics Committee, and their professionalism in rejecting support services and providing a unanimous report.

    President Buhari believed the conclusion of the review should finally draw a curtain on the allegations that created distractions for the entire institution for a period, and serve as impetus for more diligence in handling responsibilities, while fuelling the zeal to deliver on the promises of a greater Africa.

    The President urged Adesina to remain steadfast, dedicated and resolute in pursuing his noble goals for the institution, especially with the now expected second term in office.

    He assured him of the prayers and support of Nigerians.

  • Independent Review Panel clears Adesina of all corruption allegations

    Independent Review Panel clears Adesina of all corruption allegations

    An Independent Review Panel has completely absolved the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, of all corruption allegations.

     

    TheNewsGuru recalls that the Independent Review Panel was set up by the Bureau of Governors of the Bank, following a complaint by the United States, to review the process by which two previous organs of the Bank – the Ethics Committee of the Board, and the Bureau of the Board of Governors – had previously exonerated Adesina.

     

    The three-member Independent Review Panel include Mary Robinson, who is a former President of the Republic of Ireland, a former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the Chairperson of the Elders, a global body of wise persons concerned with the world’s wellbeing; the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Gambia, Hassan B. Jallow; and Leonard McCarthy, a former Director of Public Prosecutions, a former Director for the Office of Serious Economic Offences, and a former Head of the Directorate of Special Operations of South Africa. He also served as the Vice President of Integrity for the World Bank for nine years.

     

    In January 2020, sixteen claims of ethical misbehavior were levelled against Mr Adesina by a group of whistleblowers. The allegations which were reviewed by the Bank’s Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors in March, were described as “frivolous and without merit.” The findings and rulings of the Ethics Committee were subsequently upheld by the apex Bureau of the Board of Governors in May, which cleared Adesina of any wrongdoing.

     

    Apart from reviewing the report of the ethics committee, the panel also appraised each of the 16 allegations by the whistleblowers and Mr Adesina’s responses to them.

     

    The report of the Independent Review Panel states that it “concurs with the (Ethics) Committee in its findings in respect of all the allegations against the President and finds that they were properly considered and dismissed by the Committee.”

     

    The panel exonerated Mr Adesina and stated that “It has considered the President’s submissions on their face and finds them consistent with his innocence and to be persuasive.”

     

    The conclusions of the Independent Review Panel now clear the way for governors of the bank to re-elect Mr Adesina to a second five-year term as president during annual meetings of the bank scheduled for August 25-27.

     

  • Senate confirms Seriki, Adesina, Djebah, 38 others as ambassadors-designate

    Senate confirms Seriki, Adesina, Djebah, 38 others as ambassadors-designate

    Senate President Ahmad Lawan on Wednesday called for adequate funding of Nigerian embassies abroad.

    Lawan who spoke after the Senate confirmed 40 non-career and one career ambassadors-designate recently nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari, however advised the Federal Government to consider either closure or merger of some of its foreign missions if there is no resources to properly fund them.

    He argued that there is no need to send an envoy to a foreign land to represent the country without making adequate provision for the ambassador’s upkeep or the sustainable administration of such an embassy.

    Meanwhile, the Senate has confirmed Debo Adeshina representing Oyo State, Oma Djebah (Delta), Ademola Seriki (Lagos), Umar Sulieman (Adamawa), Kevin Peter (Adamawa), John Usanga (Akwa Ibom), Elejah Onyeagba (Anambra), Abubakar Ibrahim (Bauchi), Philip Ikurusi (Bayelsa), Tarzoor Terhemen (Benue), Paul Adikwu (Benue), Al-Bishir Al-Hussain (Borno), Bwala Bukar (Borno) and Monique Ekpong (Cross River) for appointment as non-career ambassadors.

    The Senate also confirmed the nomination of Ominyi Eze representing Ebonyi State, Yamah Musa (Edo), C. O Ugwu (Enugu), Hajara Salim (Gombe), Obiezu Chinyerem (Imo), Ali Magashi (Jigawa), M. A Markarfi (Kaduna),
    Hamisu Takalmawa (Kano), Jazuli Gadalanci (Kano), Sadiya Nuhu (Kano), Yahaya Lawal (Katsina), Dare Sunday Awoniyi (Kogi), Ibrahim Laaro (Kwara), Abioye Bello (Kwara) and
    Zara Umar (Kwara) for appointment as non-career ambassadors.

    Other non-career ambassadorial nominees confirmed by the upper chambers include Henry Omaku (Nasarawa), Sarafa Isola (Ogun), Nimi Akinkube (Ondo), Adejaba Bello (Osun), Adeshina Alege (Oyo), Folakemi Akinyele (Oyo), Shehu Yibaikwal (Plateau), Maureen Tamuno (Rivers), Faruk Yabo (Sokoto), Adamu Hassan (Taraba) and Abubakar Moriki (Zamfara state).

    Mr Suleiman Sani was also confirmed as a Career ambassador representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

  • Buhari’s presidency is deaf and dumb- Fayose

    Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has described President Muhammadu Buhari’s presidency as deaf and dumb.

    He also described Buhari as an accidental president who is unconscious of happenings around him.

    Reacting to comment by Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Fayose blasted the presidency, saying that Buhari should be ignored.

    Adesina had said the president would have dealt with Fayose and River State Governor, Nyesom Wike, for their anti-Buhari tendency but he chose to tolerate them as a father of the nation.

    Fayose, in a statement by his spokesperson, Lere Olayinka, in Ado Ekiti, lampooned Adesina for talking about “a President punishing serving governors or even ordinary Nigerians as if they are his servants”.

    “On the comment by my brother and friend, Femi Adesina, about the President not dealing with me and Governor Wike, President Buhari, in my opinion, is an accidental president, who is not only clueless but unconscious of happenings in his own Presidency.

    “A man who can’t defend or protect his immediate family is not in any way better than an effigy.

    “If not, those around him won’t be talking about a President ‘punishing’ serving governors or even ordinary Nigerians as if they are his servants.

    “Femi Adesina, do you realize I have been quiet for a while, having concluded that Buhari’s Presidency is deaf and dumb?

    “So don’t wake a sleeping lion so as not to be confronted with consequences you can’t contend with.”

  • Adesina’s AfDB ranked 4th in transparency among global development institutions

    The African Development Bank(AfDB) has been ranked fourth out of 47 global development institutions on Publish What You Fund Aid Transparency Index.

    The index places the Bank in the highest category of transparency along with other world class institutions such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and UNDP.

    “We congratulate the African Development Bank – Sovereign Portfolio on achieving 4th place in the 2020 Aid Transparency Index.

    “As large quantities of aid are being reallocated to deal with the COVID-19 emergency, the transparency of international aid is more important than ever,” said Gary Forster, CEO of Publish What You Fund.

    The organisation has produced the index each year since 2011.

    Publish What You Fund ranked the Bank ‘very good’ — The highest of the five categories used to assess organisations’ transparency.

    The ranking is based on several criteria, including finance and budgets, basic information data, organisational planning and performance.

    In the new Index, which covers the 2019, the African Development Bank scored 95.5 out of 100 on transparency — A significant improvement on its score for 2018.

    “It is promising to see an increase in the quantity, quality and timeliness of aid data now being shared by a broad cross section of the world’s major aid agencies.

    “As we work together to fill the gaps in the aid data landscape, we look forward to exploring how we can best meet the demand for data and data engagement,” said Gary Forster, CEO of Publish What You Fund.

    The institution’s commitment to total transparency is illustrated by MapAfrica (https://bit.ly/2Cw8kEA) — A web-based platform that maps all of the Bank’s investments across the African continent.

    “I am absolutely delighted with this achievement!” said Swazi Tshabalala, Acting Senior Vice President for the African Development Bank Group.

    “It crowns this institution’s commitment to transparency at a time when it has never been so important.

    “With such large volumes of funding now being assigned to combat the Covid-19 pandemic, it is crucial for our citizens to know how much, where and when the African Development Bank is investing in Africa’s development.”

  • S&P Affirms AAA/A-1+ Ratings on AfDB, Adesina reacts

    Standard & Poor’s (S&P) Global Ratings has affirmed its ‘AAA/A-1+’ long- and short-term issuer credit ratings on the African Development Bank (AfDB).

    The rating agency in its latest rating positively assessed the bank’s very strong financial risk profile, very strong capital adequacy, strong funding and liquidity, extraordinary shareholder support and adequacy of its governance and management.

    The global rating agency also stated that the outlook of the Abidjan-based multilateral institution remains stable.

    “We are therefore affirming our ‘AAA’ long-term issuer credit rating on the AfDB,” S&P Global stated.

    The rating agency noted the bank’s $115 billion capital increase, approved by shareholders in October 2019, and the replenishment to the African Development Fund, and the bank’s concessional window, in December 2019.

    “The stable outlook reflects our expectation that, over the next two years, AfDB will prudently manage its capital while maintaining solid levels of high-quality liquidity assets and robust funding,” S&P Global said in a statement.

    S&P expects that “shareholders will remain supportive by providing timely capital payments”; the Bank “will continue benefiting from preferred creditor treatment (PCT); and “prudently manage growth in private-sector lending in a way that’s aligned with its mandate.”

    The rating agency’s report further noted that the “AfDB will play a key role supporting the region, particularly in the context of COVID-19.

    “The institution approved an up to $10 billion relief package for 2020, of which $6.9 billion will be financed by AfDB and the remainder through its concessional lending window.”

    Speaking on the rating, the President of the bank, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, said, “We are delighted with and welcome S&P Global’s decision to affirm the Bank’s AAA/A-1+ rating. It reflects the bank’s very strong financial position and risk management, as well as our sound governance.

    “We will continue to maintain these standards, with the strong support of all our shareholders, as we deliver much needed financial, knowledge and policy support to our regional member countries during and after this period of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

    The agency also commented on the allegations against the President of AfDB. The New York-based rating agency pointed out that the bureau of the boards of governors of the bank recently addressed allegations against the president, agreeing with the findings of the ethics committee absolving the president of any wrongdoing and authorising an independent review of the report.