Africa (Commonwealth) _ Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, has been named the recipient of the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership in 2023.
The Chairman of the Selection Committee, Emeka Anyaoku, said this during a news conference on Thursday in Gbagada Phase 2, Lagos State. Anyaoku stated that three great persons have received the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership since its inception in 2013, and that Adesina would be the fourth winner.
The prize, he said, was a project of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, which was established in April 1992 to act as the custodian of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s intellectual and leadership legacy. He stated that the award was formed as an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization committed to immortalizing Chief Obafeni Awolowo’s democratic and development-oriented values.
While describing Awolowo as a global Pan-African nationalist, Anyaoku described the award as a prestigious, biennial, international prize structured to follow a rigorous process of nomination and subsequent screening by a selection committee comprised of some of Nigeria’s most outstanding citizens.
In accordance with the applicable requirements for selecting candidates for the award, Anyaoku stated that nominations for many famous people who have made remarkable achievements in numerous aspects of life had been received.
He created a system that allowed farmers to get electronic vouchers for seeds and fertilizers directly on their cell phones, eliminating the need for middlemen. Within four years, this initiative benefited at least 15 million farmers. Since becoming the helm of the African Development Bank (AfDB). Dr. Adesina has worked tirelessly to contribute to the continent’s good change. He has demonstrated leadership in solving some of the continent’s difficulties, including spearheading and supporting creative measures to combat hunger and poverty.
The prize will be awarded to Adesina on March 6, 2024, which is Awolowo’s birth anniversary. Afenifere leader Ayo Adebanjo stated during the unveiling that Nigerians ought to quit supporting bad leadership and keep the government on its toes.
Adebanjo voiced worry that today’s youngsters convert supporters into “election riggers” once they are employed as personal assistants. Because of the youths, the nonagenarian said he has continued to work for a better Nigeria.
Those of us who are fighting now have nothing to gain. At 95, I’m still in the trenches for what? What is the purpose of sending children to school? He swore to fight for the Nigerian cause till the end of time, adding he did not believe in parties with no philosophy. Many of those who currently rule you are rogues personified, he remarked.
Akinwumi “Akin” Adesina CON is a Nigerian economist and former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development. He was Vice President of Policy and Partnerships for the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) until his appointment as Minister in 2010.He was elected President of the African Development Bank in 2015 and will be re-elected in 2020. He is the first Nigerian president.
Adesina was born in Ibadan, Oyo state, to a Nigerian farmer. In 1981, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics with First Class Honors from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) in Nigeria.He was the university’s first student to receive this honor. He continued his education at Purdue University in Indiana and returned to Nigeria briefly in 1984 to marry. He received his Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University in 1988, where he was awarded the excellent Ph.D. thesis for his research effort.
Adesina and his wife, along with another couple, founded the African Student Fellowship while attending Purdue University. Rotimi, Emmanuel, and Segun are his three children with his wife, Grace.
