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As Akinwunmi Adesina prepares to contest for the Presidential seat this year, of the African Development Bank (AfDB) for a five-year second and final term, former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that if former President Goodluck Jonathan had not appointed Adesina to serve as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in his cabinet between 2011 and 2015, the AfDB President wouldn’t have got the job.
Obasanjo, who narrated the intrigues that characterised the appointment of Adesina as the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development under Jonathan’s Presidency, explained that if Adesina had not come back when former President Jonathan had a rethink to give the slot to Adesina, having earlier declared his administration’s intention to zone the slot to the North, then former minister might not have got the job at AfDB.
Speaking at the Thanksgiving Service that was organised by Christian Association of Nigeria, Ogun State Chapter in honour of the former President Obasanjo at Chapel of Christ Glorious King within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Obasanjo noted that the track record of good governance as portrayed by Adesina under People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government between 2011 and 2015 deservedly earned Adesina AfDB President.
While speaking directly to Adesina who was in the company of his wife, Yemisi to the Thanksgiving Service held in Abeokuta, Obasanjo said, “Akin AfDB (Akinwunmi Adesina) you know I will recognise you but before I recognise, I will recognise Yemisi (his wife). Akin was telling a story but he didn’t tell the story of how he got to have 45percent and Yemisi has 55percent. When Akin came down to be the minister, Yemisi grudgingly released him”.
“But he was coming to be minister and after he had arrived here, the man who said we should look for somebody who can do the job changed his mind and he said he had zoned the post of Minister for Agriculture to the North. When I heard that, I said, Akin pack and go back to where you are coming from and Akin went back.
“I don’t know what happened but I believe I know part of it, some people went to talk to him, so he called me and said where is the man and said the man had gone back. He said can we have him back and I said no, we can’t, it is too late, he has gone back; so he pleaded with me and I called Akin.
“And I called and I said, well Akin, the man has changed his mind, maybe you should come back, and Akin said, it was no longer in his hands, it was in the hands of his wife. Well, I didn’t know that the wife at that time is Yemisi who incidentally happened to be the daughter of my Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture when I was the Military Head of State.
“I said who is your wife and he said she is the daughter of your former Permanent Secretary, I said give her the phone and he gave her the phone. And then, I think after about 30 minutes, I persuaded Yemisi though she had a number of points to make, she allowed herself to be persuaded and Akin came back and he became the Minister of Agriculture.
“Then, from there, Akin became (of course we went around) the President of African Development Bank. So, I said to Akin, your becoming President of African Development Bank, you have done only 45% of the work, Yemisi did 55% of the work because if Yemisi had not allowed you to come and become Minister of Agriculture, you will not have become the President of the African Development Bank.”According to him, “That is why it is Akin – 45 and Yemisi – 55. But, you know the bond between husband and wife, so when he started complaining, Yemisi said shouldn’t we give him something more, so we agreed and we increased it from 45 to 46 but Akin is greedy, he always wants to take more than what you have to give.”
Although Adesina didn’t respond to all the statements credited to Obasanjo as regards how he became the President of the African Development Bank, occasional smiles and nods to what Obasanjo was saying from the podium confirmed the veracity of issues that characterised the emergence of Adesina, first as Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria and currently, President of African Development Bank.
Also, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun state, who was the only governor present at the Thanksgiving Service in Abeokuta, said this of Obasanjo, “The relationship I have with you is that of a father and son relationship that dates back to so many years.
“Baba’s Christian life is a very consistent one that is indeed worthy of emulation. Baba has always lived his life to the fear of the Almighty God and he never fails to appreciate all that God has done for him and that is what we are seeing today.
“We all know and appreciate that God doesn’t make and didn’t make many like Baba and I’m sure that God is not probably going to make anymore like him.
“Baba is a world ambassador, Baba is an African icon, Baba is a global citizen but more importantly, Baba is an Ogun son that we are well pleased in. I don’t think that anything can be better than starting the first working day of the year other than thanking God.”
