TheCable

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has commended Geoffrey Onyeama, minister of foreign affairs, for his remarkable leadership and outstanding diplomatic relations with other countries.

In a Twitter post on Wednesday, Adesina commended the minister for his efforts over the appointment of some Nigerians into global positions.

Onyeama was appointed foreign affairs minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in November 2015.

“I am so proud of Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister ⁦Geoffrey Onyeama⁩ for his remarkable service and leadership,” Adesina wrote.

“This meek, gentle and humble diplomat is outstanding. Under his watch with strong support of President ⁦Buhari⁩, Nigerians got elected into global positions.”

I am so proud of Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister ⁦@GeoffreyOnyeama⁩ for his remarkable service & leadership. This meek, gentle & humble diplomat is outstanding. Under his watch with strong support of President ⁦@MBuhari⁩, Nigerians got elected into global positions pic.twitter.com/jRCiP3wnq1

— Akinwumi A. Adesina (@akin_adesina) March 24, 2021

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Some Nigerian professionals recently got appointments into top government positions in global organisations, as well as the United States and United Kingdom (UK).

This includes the reelection of Adesina in 2020 as AfDB president, and the appointment of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as first female and first African director-general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

In 2019, Boris Johnson, British prime minister, named Kemi Badenoch a minister in his cabinet.

In November 2020, United States President Joe Biden appointed Adewale Adeyemo as deputy secretary of the treasury department.

Biden also appointed Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo into his cabinet as white house counsel, as well as Osaremen Okolo as a member of his COVID-19 response team.

The UK has also nominated Dapo Akande, a British-Nigerian professor, as its candidate for the International Law Commission of the United Nations (UN).