Chukwudi Nweje, Lagos

President Muhammadu Buhari has re-nominated Dr Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), for a second four-year term as head of the African regional financial institution.

Adesina became president of the Bank on May 28, 2015, twenty four hours after his tenure as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in the President Goodluck Jonathan administration ended.

Adesina disclosed his renomination for the Bank’s  top position Sunday when he received a lifetime achievement award as Nigeria’s international icon at the 23rd Hallmarks of Labour awards held in Lagos.

He said, “President Bihari has nominated me again to be re-elected for a second term as President of the AfDB. I thank him for that support and I am extremely grateful to him. By the God’s grace, and with your support, I was elected president of the AfDB on May 28, 2015, exactly 24 hours after my term of office as minister of our dear nation, the nation jubilated as I became the first ever Nigerian to be elected president of the AfDB.

“We have been able to do much and God has helped us tremendously. The Bank was voted fourth most transparent institution globally last year. The Bank continues to maintain its goal through the race, we connected 16 million people to electricity within the last three years. We connected 17 million people with agricultural technology to get food security, we got nine billion people connected to finance, 55 million people with access to improved transport, and 31million people with access to improved water sanitation. Nigeria is the largest shareholder of AfDB. There is still much to do, there are still lots of challenges as we all know. I know I cannot do much unless I get a second term as President of the AfDB. I want to say that once again Nigeria has given me air in my lungs. President Buhari has nominated me again to be re-elected for a second term as president of the AfDB.”

Adesina said his election as the first ever Nigerian to head the Bank was a collective effort of Nigerians, mentioning Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Prof. Sule Gambari, Nigeria’s former permanent representative at the United Nations and Dr Ngozi Okinjo-Iweala, former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy in the Jonathan government, whom he said represented the country well and made Nigeria stand tall in the international community and made it possible for him to follow their examples.

“Some of these people may be dead but they are alive. Their achievements have become paths for us today just like the paths of the forest that leads one to the beach. I want to say that all of us must begin to take responsibility and that there is need for all of us at all times to be the best ambassadors of Nigeria and to make it the nation we want it to be,” Adesina added.

He charged Nigerians to emulate the examples set by notable Nigerians, saying that his position at the head of the AfDB was a collective effort of all Nigerians.

“When President Goodluck Jonathan called me to become a minister, it was the greatest honour for me to serve my nation and I received the support of everybody. When it was time for me to campaign for the presidency of the African Development Bank, it was a Nigerian effort. Nigerians gathered together, from Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice Presidents Atiku Abubakar and Namadi Sambo and, of course, my dear indefatigable sister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, who ran a spirited campaign for me to become President of the AfDB.”

Adesina vowed to use his position for the development of Nigeria and the whole of Africa.

“I will live as a Nigerian, die as a Nigerian and, on the Resurrection Day, I will ask for God’s favour to rise as a Nigerian holding the green-white-green flag. I want this consciousness in all of us that there is need for all of us at all times to be best ambassadors of the nation we can be. Every one of us are great men and women whose achievements are inspiring to us. Every one of us must be a winner whose achievements are an inspiration to us,” Adesina said.