The Diaspora support group of North America and Europe has urged Nigerians to elect Akinwunmi Adesina, president of African Development Bank (AfDB) as Nigeria’s president in 2023.
The group made the call in a statement signed by Tony Bello who is Chairman, Shine Bridge Global Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia-USA and made available to journalists in Abuja on Thursday.
According to the group, Adesina has continued to exhibit capacity to resolve the economic and security situation in the country, having demonstrated that he is a proactive leader who solves problems before they occur and can turn around very bad situations.
“We are confident that Adesina’s presidency in Nigeria come 2023 will usher in private sector investments, local and foreign direct investment inflows, human capital development and recovery of the Nigerians in diaspora.
“Adesina knows what to do to fix the food and nutrition security and the national security challenges of Nigeria. He knows food production, food processing, and consumer packaged foods.
“He understands industrial development to create economic boom. He knows how to invest in merit-based human capital development and inclusion.
“He is a technocrat par excellence. He understands that food security and national security goes hand-in-hand; in fact, in our view, national security is food security and vice-versa.
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“We therefore wish to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to our co-patriots, technocrats and detribalized Nigerians who are working hard as volunteers and admirers of Adesina, first to purchase, and then complete the expression of interest and nomination forms on behalf of Adesina.
“We herein call upon all patriotic Nigerians at home and abroad to join hands with the APC leadership and delegates to vote Adesina as the party’s presidential flag bearer, even in absentia as may be needed for such a time as this.
“We need Adesina to be voted consensus candidate of the APC party as he continues to deliver on the bank’s mandate through the primaries.
“It is time for all Nigerians to give a career technocrat in the person of Dr. Adesina the opportunity to be elected President of Nigeria come 2023,” the group said.
The group recalled that on Wednesday May 11, 2022 Adesina appeared before the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations.
According to them, he was questioned by ranking senators on global food security and asked to proffer solutions to the looming food crisis facing Africa, Afghanistan among others.
“As usual, Adesina backed up his presentation of the situational analysis, proffered implementable and responsible solutions and recommendations for evidence-based policy interventions by the U.S. government.
“At the end, the committee promised to recommend five billion dollars intervention, of which 200 million dollars or more is likely to go to AfDB programmes and activities on Africa food and nutrition security activities,” they said.
It also said Adesina is an advocate of job creation and food import; partnerships between the legislative, judiciary and executive arms of government to address debts, MSMEs and youth related issues.
A coalition of 28 groups at the weekend picked the N100 million worth expression of interest and nomination forms for Adesina to contest for the presidential ticket of the APC.
The groups, include Youth Arise Movement, Nigerians in Diaspora, One Nigeria Group, Prudent Youth Association of Nigeria, women groups, farmers, people with disabilities amongst others
