Former President Goodluck
Jonathan has said that the emergence of Dr Akinwumi Adesina as President of the
African Development Bank, AfDB, and Ms. Arunma Oteh as Treasurer/ Vice
President of the World Bank demonstrated that he had a good economic team.
Dr. Adesina was Dr. Jonathan’s
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, while Ms. Oteh, was the
Director-General of Securities and Exchange Commission.
The former president’s position
was contained in separate letters of congratulations to both Dr. Adesina and
Ms. Oteh which Dr. Jonathan personally signed.
He described them as high achievers
and Nigeria’s worthy ambassadors.
In his letter to Dr. Adesina, the
former President said, “Given your exemplary record of performance, while
serving as the Honourable Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development in my
cabinet, I have no doubt that you will deploy your energy and the bank’s
resources to ensure that Africa experiences a new era of accelerated
development.
“You were not only a critical
voice in my economic team, you also walked the talk, and earned the praise of
our countrymen and women, by ensuring that Nigeria’s quest for self-sufficiency
in food production became an achievable dream.
“I am particularly pleased with
your emergence as the AfDB boss; a development, I believe, has come as a reward
for having served your country meritoriously.
It also attests to the fact that my Administration had a good team that
managed the affairs of the country.”
Also writing to Ms. Oteh, Dr,
Jonathan said, “I am delighted that you are going to your new job, fresh from
the experience of having led the recovery and growth initiatives of the
Nigerian Bourse in the wake of the decline, occasioned by recent global
economic recession and financial crisis.
“I am particularly pleased that
you are being rewarded and elevated on the world stage, after serving your
country meritoriously, at a time I was the President. This is a clear testimony
to your capacity, high
integrity, and tenacity of
purpose. It is also a vindication of the decision of my Administration to stand
by you, believing in your abilities and competence, even when questions were
being raised in some quarters over your choice.
“I am convinced that the
experience you gathered as Director-General of the Securities and Exchange
Commission of Nigeria (SEC) gave you deep insights on how to tackle the
peculiar challenges of a developing nation.
The World Bank can draw from this
to ensure that its future partnerships with emerging economies in Africa and
other parts of the world are anchored on policies that will lead to sustained
growth and
development, which is a sine qua
non for lifting millions of people in the developing world out of mass
poverty.”
Credit: Vanguard
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