Akinwumi Adesina, former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), says he is ready to serve Nigeria in any role.
He spoke to journalists on Tuesday after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Adesina briefed the President on his 10-year tenure at the continental lender.
He is an agricultural economist.
“I’m fully able to help Nigeria in any capacity. I’ve always had that. You know, my heart is always at home,” he said.
Asked what role he could play, he said he would help in any way the President considered fit.
However, he said he is not seeking a government job.
“I’m not looking for a job. I’m not looking for anything. I’m just here to help. It’s my country. I have a duty, an obligation, and a responsibility to do so, and I will,” he said.
No specific role or appointment was announced after the meeting.
From Farm Inputs To Africa’s Development Bank
Adesina served as Nigeria’s minister of agriculture and rural development from 2011 to 2015 under former President Goodluck Jonathan.
He later became the first Nigerian to lead the AfDB.
He was elected in May 2015 and re-elected for a second five-year term in August 2020.
His tenure ended in 2025.
As minister, he led changes in how subsidised farm inputs reached farmers.
He introduced an electronic-wallet system that let farmers receive support for seeds and fertiliser on their mobile phones.
The AfDB said the programme reached 15 million farmers in its first four years.
It was meant to improve access to inputs and cut the role of middlemen.
At the bank, he oversaw an agenda that covered electricity access, food security, industrialisation and regional integration.
In 2019, shareholders raised the bank’s general capital from $93 billion to $208 billion.
It was the largest capital increase in its history at the time.
$7 Billion For Nigeria And Praise For Tinubu
Adesina said the AfDB provided about $7 billion in financing to Nigeria between 2015 and 2025.
The bank has provided $11.1 billion in total since it began work in Nigeria in 1971.
“Within 10 years, we were able to do 63%, literally, of that,” he said.
He said Tinubu was pleased with the bank’s support.
Adesina also commended the President for removing the petrol subsidy and harmonising the foreign exchange windows.
He called the steps difficult but said they were beginning to show results.
He cited more foreign exchange, the return of portfolio investors and falling inflation.
However, he admitted that prices remain high.
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