Former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, on Tuesday visited President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja and declared that he is back home and ready to work for Nigeria.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, Adesina said he had completed his two terms as AfDB president and returned to formally brief the President on the achievements recorded during his decade in office.
“I told the President, I’m back at home, here to help and ready to help. It’s my country. I love my country, and I’m ready to help,” he said.
Adesina emphasised that he was not seeking a political appointment or a new job, but was prepared to serve in any capacity the President considered appropriate.
“I’m fully able to help Nigeria in any capacity. I’ve always had that. My heart is always at home. In any capacity that His Excellency feels I can help, I can help in anything. I’m not looking for a job,” he added.
The former AfDB chief also praised Tinubu’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy and the harmonisation of foreign exchange windows.
He described the measures as “very important, difficult reforms” that were beginning to bear fruit, citing improved foreign exchange availability, the return of portfolio investors and a downward trend in inflation, even though prices remained high.
Adesina noted that the gains from stabilisation must now be followed by structural transformation, growth and prosperity, which he said the President was already focusing on.
He disclosed that the AfDB provided approximately $7 billion in financing to Nigeria between 2015 and 2025, representing about 63 per cent of the total $11.1 billion the bank had committed to the country since beginning operations in Nigeria in 1971.
Adesina, who became the first Nigerian to lead the AfDB in 2015, said Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the bank’s support to Nigeria during his tenure.
AbdulBasit Saba is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
