I WAS ruminating over the values, content, context and even competencies around ‘consensus building’ which dominates the ongoing leadership recruitment within the political parties in Nigeria when the question of the whereabouts of the immediate past President of African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina came to the fore. The thought strayed quickly to some of the best brains that I had thought should be part of nominations when leadership recruitment of a great nation like this comes into focus.
I had also thought about some significant people who may not be prominent but significant within the political circles who may not contest but can be tapped and tipped at such a time like this. Don’t get it twisted, I believe some significant citizens, technocrats, professionals can be ‘headhunted’ at this time to be part of the dominant political parties without contesting elections. Elsewhere, even professors of significance, active students are encouraged to join good political parties that have development orientation and ideologies.
In 2013 I was on the team of National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Study Team in Washington D.C when Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande who led the team was the DG of NIPSS. The theme for the year was “Management of Political Parties”. I was in a session addressed by two professors of political science from the department of political management of George Washington University, Washington D.C. The two resource persons, (one female and one male) introduced themselves to the NIPSS team as members of the two dominant political parties in the United States, the Republican and Democratic Parties.
They exchanged great banters while deconstructing how the party system works to shape politics and policies in the United States. We rose from their very constructive and robust colloquium to visit the physical offices of the National Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute created by congressional acts to shape policies for the parties.
Here is the thing, as we grope for democracy for development at this time, our leaders need to recruit good and knowledgeable citizens into the political parties’ platforms as no one can be elected without membership of any of the registered parties. No independent candidature provision in the organic laws of the land. What is more telling, a great author Robins Sharma’s classic addresses leaders who didn’t have titles. You don’t need titles to lead in well-governed systems.
Now to the brass tacks: I had wondered why the federal government didn’t bother to celebrate end of a very successful and impactful tenure of Dr. Adesina at the AfDB inside Nigeria. He was a worthy ambassador of Nigeria, celebrated all over Africa and the world.
I didn’t just read about the first class graduate of Agricultural Economics of the Obafemi Awolowo University and University of Purdue, United States where he bagged his doctorate with a distinction of the best doctoral thesis. I (as MD/Editor-in-Chief), wrote the front-page preface to cover at The Guardian in 2021 when the Great Editorial Board of The Guardian unanimously chose Dr. Adesina as the newspaper’s ‘Man of the Year’. The significant scholar and Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture also delivered The Guardian’s 40th birthday anniversary lecture titled, ‘For The World To Respect Africa’ on November 28, 2023. The classic lecture is still being shared.
Besides, I can also recall excellent brains from even Lagos such as Babatunde Raji Fashola and his successor, Akinwunmi Ambode who wasn’t allowed a second term as Governor of Lagos State. These are organic critical thinkers, philosopher-kings who should not be outside government system that would want to succeed. They are tested. Before my brother, Simon Kolawole would claim, “it all politics, after all”, I also wonder why excellent brains like Oby Ezekwesili can’t be attracted to represent her people in any organs of governance. She has served even at the World Bank as Vice President. Why would a tested scholar and administrator like Professor Attahiru Jega be restricted to a mere advisory role in Livestock Development? What kind of politics would have confined a former Vice Chancellor and a respected former Chairman of INEC to that corner piece as a Special Adviser where mediocrities are calling the shot?
I still continue to wonder why Citizen Placid Njoku, one of the best professors of Animal Science in Africa, pioneer Vice Chancellor of Mike Okpara University of Agriculture, and former Deputy Governor of Imo State can’t be nominated from Imo state as even an Ambassador as an APC member. Have I mentioned one of the best brains in Nuclear Science in the world, Professor Anthony Adegbulugbe, a first class scholar who obtained 5.0 of 5.0 GPA in Electronic and Electrical Engineering in O.A.U, Ile-Ife in 1976 and completed his doctoral degree in Nuclear Material Engineering (IMT) with a distinction recognised by American Academy of Nuclear Engineers? Professor Adegbulugbe has even invested in two remarkable projects, Gas to Power Plant and Crude Oil Export Terminal in Andoni Local Government in Rivers State.
The two hundreds of millions of dollars worth of projects were commissioned by the federal governments in 2024 and 2025. Who is attracting that kind of genius to be part of even a functional Presidential Advisory Council? Does anyone remember Professor Suleiman Bogoro who was Executive Secretary of TertFund? He is one of the most reliable intellectuals in the North. Why can’t a good political party system court such a brain and others to help rebuild this broken country? I have also wondered why the biggest of the Lagos Big Boys, former Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo too hasn’t been visible at the governing political party and governance advisory level. When will the governing and opposition parties begin to run a merit-based and respectable government system that will openly attract even the Dangotes and intellectuals to the existing political parties in Nigeria?
Now let’s return to the focal point: Akinwumi Adesina, unarguably one of Nigeria’s Brand Ambassadors. He was honoured recently in some African countries including the Gambia where the University named the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences after him. But prophet is yet to be honoued in his home country. Where is Dr Adesina at this time?
The former President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) was honoured the other day in Ghana for his decades-long contributions to agricultural innovation, economic transformation, and sustainable development across Africa. According to a report on Channels Tv, in a night that blended celebration with conviction, Adesina delivered a stirring message of African optimism after receiving the ‘African Lifetime Achievement Award’ in Accra, declaring emphatically that the continent is no longer a promise – but an “investable reality.”
The honour, presented by Ghanaian President John Mahama at the 4th African Heritage Awards on April 11, 2026, recognised Adesina’s decades-long contributions to agricultural innovation, economic transformation, and sustainable development across Africa. Held at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel, the ceremony drew prominent African leaders and change makers, reinforcing the growing momentum behind a self-driven African development agenda.
Adesina, who recently concluded his decade-long tenure as President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), used the platform not just to reflect on past achievements, but to articulate a bold vision for Africa’s future – one driven by investment, not aid.
“I do not serve Africa for applause –I serve Africa as a mission. Serving Africa is a lifetime calling,” he said, drawing sustained applause from the audience.
In a speech rich with data, Adesina pushed back against long-held narratives that frame Africa as a continent of unrealised potential. Instead, he argued that Africa has entered a new phase – one of measurable growth and global relevance.
Citing projections from the International Monetary Fund, (IMF) he noted that Africa is expected to record approximately 4.2% GDP growth in 2026, positioning it as the fastest-growing region globally for multiple consecutive years.
“This is not cyclical recovery. This is structural revaluation,” Adesina said. “Africa is not just growing. Africa is compounding.”
He pointed to African corporate giants as proof of this transformation, referencing the rise of the Dangote Group, MTN Group, Safaricom, and Jumia as signals of scale, resilience, and readiness.
A recurring theme throughout the evening was the urgent need to reposition Africa in the global economic system – not as a recipient of aid, but as a destination for structured, large-scale investment.
Adesina highlighted the continent’s vast reserves of critical minerals – estimated at 30% of global supply – yet lamented that Africa attracts less than 5% of global investment flows in that sector. “That gap is not risk. It is mispricing,” he said.
To bridge this divide, Adesina spotlighted the Global Africa Investment Summit (GAIS), a platform he co-founded to connect African sovereign assets with institutional investors worldwide. According to him, the initiative aims to unlock long-term capital flows into infrastructure, energy, and digital systems across the continent. “This is not aid. This is not charity. This is alpha,” he declared.
Adesina’s recognition comes on the heels of a career marked by transformative reforms. As Nigeria’s former Minister of Agriculture, he spearheaded initiatives that reached over 15 million farmers and restructured the fertiliser sector to curb corruption. At the AfDB, he oversaw a historic increase in the bank’s capital – from less than a $100 billion to more than $300 billion – while driving projects that impacted over 500 million Africans, particularly in energy access, infrastructure, and food security.
His leadership has previously earned global acclaim, including the World Food Prize and recognition as African of the Decade in 2024.
The African Heritage Awards, now in its fourth edition, has honoured a distinguished list of African leaders, including Goodluck Jonathan and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, underscoring its growing stature as a platform celebrating African excellence.
In an emotional prologue, Adesina dedicated the award to Nigeria, describing it as the foundation of his journey and a constant force behind his achievements. .
“Nigeria gave me my beginning… it gave me opportunity when opportunity was not guaranteed,” he said. “This honour returns home – not as repayment, but as gratitude.” Yet his message extended beyond national borders, resonating with a broader continental identity.
“I will live as an African. I will die as an African… and I dedicate this honour to Africa – not as she was, but as she is destined to be.”
Perhaps the most defining takeaway from the evening was Adesina’s insistence that Africa’s rise is no longer a question of possibility – but of timing and global readiness. “The question is no longer whether Africa will ascend,” he said. “The question is whether the world is ready for the Africa that has already ascended.”
It was a statement that captured both the urgency and inevitability of Africa’s moment—one that Adesina believes has already begun.
This is just a wake-up call to the ruling and indeed the political class that they can’t rise beyond the quality of the people within the political party and governance systems.
In the main, the President of Nigeria and other opposition party leaders should begin to attract significant citizens like Dr. Adesina, to their parties and government. That is how to build a remarkable country and global brand and competitiveness.
- Oloja is former editor of The Guardian newspaper and his column, Inside Stuff, runs on the back page of the newspaper on Sunday. The column appears on News Point Nigeria newspaper on Monday.