Immediate past President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has declared his full willingness to assist the Nigerian government across any domain deemed suitable by the presidency, declaring that he stands ready to help in anything. The former minister voiced this commitment on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, during an official debriefing session with President Bola Tinubu at the State House in Abuja following the conclusion of his ten-year tenure at the helm of the continental financial institution.
Emerging from the high-level meeting, Adesina clarified to State House correspondents that his willingness to support the current administration stems purely from national duty rather than a quest for political office or employment. “I am fully able to help Nigeria in any capacity,” Adesina stated. “In any capacity that His Excellency feels I can help, I can help in anything. I am not looking for a job. I am not looking for anything. It is my country; I have a duty, an obligation, and a responsibility to do so, and I will.”
The visit served primarily as a formal debrief on the multilateral bank’s interventions in Nigeria throughout Adesina’s two terms, which spanned from 2015 to 2025.
Giving a breakdown of the institution’s historical engagement, the former AfDB chief explained, “If you look at the bank’s support to Nigeria from 2015 to 2025, it was roughly $7bn. But if you look at the total amount of bank financing to Nigeria since 1971, when the African Development Bank started operations in Nigeria, it has been $11.1bn. So within 10 years, we were able to do 63 per cent, literally, of that. Mr. President was very, very pleased with the various support that has been provided.”
Evaluating current national macroeconomics, Adesina commended the ongoing fiscal adjustments, observing that key metrics indicate initial market stabilization. “You have a lot more foreign exchange available today. You have a lot of portfolio investors coming into the country. You have inflation trending downwards. Prices are still a bit high, but inflation is trending downwards,” Adesina remarked, adding that international rating agencies are taking notice with stable and positive outlooks.
Emphasizing that short-term economic stabilization represents merely the opening phase of a broader national recovery, Adesina outlined the imperative for the next stage of economic policy.
“You have to now move from the issue of the reforms and stabilisation straight into structural transformation and also growth and prosperity, which is what the President is focusing on. That is just the beginning of the work,” he noted, reiterating his commitment to the nation: “I told the President, I am back at home, here to help and ready to help. It is my country. I love my country, and I am ready to help.”
President Tinubu commended the former minister for his decade of service at the multilateral bank, acknowledging the impact of Adesina’s signature High 5s strategy on continental food security and economic resilience. Adesina, who previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture between 2011 and 2015, made history as the first Nigerian national to head the African Development Bank, leaving behind a decade of expanded capital deployment across Africa.
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