Adesina joined three others honorary doctoral awardees,
namely former Nigerian Head of State General Abdulsalam Abubakar (GCFR), Alhaji
Abdul Samad Rabiu, (CON) and Malam Mele Kolo Kyari.
Adesina used the occasion to publicly acknowledge President
Muhammadu Buhari, several former Heads of State, and former Vice President
Atiku Abubakar for the roles they played in his election as President of the
African Development Bank Group.
“I am especially grateful to H.E. General Abdulsalami
Abubakar, who took me under his wings and lobbied extremely hard for me when I
was seeking election for President of the African Development Bank in 2015.
He spoke with the then President-elect Muhammadu Buhari, who
in turn provided me with strong support. He also reached out to President
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to rally
support behind me. You have been a key part of my success. I wish to use this
time to acknowledge that publicly and thank you most sincerely. Your
Excellency, I am grateful Sir.”
President Buhari also strongly supported Adesina leading up
to his second term re-election in September 2020.
In an inspiring message to graduating students, Adesina, a
former Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, told the graduating class
of 2021, that as the new success stories of Nigeria, they stood on the brink of
opportunities, having been prepared for success by a university focused on
technology.
Adesina said: “Technology drives the world. As Minister of
Agriculture, I turned to the power of technology, mobile phones, to provide 15
million farmers with access to improved seeds and fertilizers, with a view to
ending corruption in the sector.
It was revolutionary – the first, not only in Africa, but in
the world. It helped Nigeria produce a record additional 21 million metric tons
of food. It boosted food security and expanded wealth for farmers, from the
northeast, northwest, north central, southwest, east, and south-south of the
country. It brought transparency and accountability in use of public funds.
Several Nigerian Fintech entrepreneurs are already using
tech to deliver digital payment systems with three of Nigeria’s fintech
(Intersswitch, Pay Pal and Flutterwave) reaching the $1 billion mark. Adesina
said African Fintechs raised $1.4 billion in 2019, three times what was raised
in 2019, and in 2021 they raised about $5 billion.
The African Development Bank President highlighted the
critical roles of technology for enhancing security systems, military
reconnaissance and intelligence, satellite imagery and remote sensing to track
the effects of climate change, artificial intelligence, as well as drones to
deliver agricultural inputs and medical supplies to remote locations.
On a humorous note, Adesina said: “Cognitive robots now
power industrial manufacturing. In the very near future, due to machine
learning and artificial intelligence, your colleagues in the office or industry
will not be just Musa, Emeka, Yetunde, or Ada, but Yekini Jones or Bobo – the
robots. They will even wear caps or head ties. Through facial recognition,
Yekini and Bobo the robots will greet you every morning, saying “Hello Musa,
Emeka, Yetunde, and Ada. And you will say, “Hello Yekini, Hello Bobo. Let’s
roll.”
The African Development Bank is preparing the youth of
Africa to lead in the new digital economy. We have just provided $ 170 million
to Nigeria to help drive its I-DICE initiative that will help expand the
digital industry and grow jobs in the creative industries.
In his concluding remarks, Adesina gave an inspirational
charge to the graduates, saying: “You have been shaped in Minna, for export to
other parts of Nigeria, Africa, and the world. Build a New Nigeria. A smart
Nigeria. A dynamic Nigeria. A globally competitive Nigeria. It is in your
hands. Now go and make it happen! I wish you good success and God’s richest
blessings. Congratulations!”
Following the convocation ceremony, Adesina paid courtesy
calls on two of Minna’s most illustrious citizens, Former Heads of State
General Ibrahim Gbadamosi Babangida and General Abdulsalam Abubakar.
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