5 Nigerians making Nigeria proud on the global stage
Nigeria is blessed with sound minds who are making waves all around the globe.
The number of Nigerians in various strategic roles in global politics cannot be quantified.
And more importantly, these Nigerians are not just occupying the positions, they are actually making appreciable impact in the roles they find themselves.
Legit.ng lists five Nigerians who are on international assignments and are making Nigeria proud.
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Read below:
1. Arunma Oteh: She is the current vice president and treasurer of the World Bank. Ms Oteh is credited for sanitizing Nigeria's capital market during her time as the Director-General of the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). The University of Nsukka graduate, had stints with the African Development Bank, Harvard Institute of International Development and Centre Point Investments Limited, Nigeria before she was appointed as SEC DG by Late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua. Efforts by some unscrupulous politicians in Nigeria's House of Representatives to rubbish Oteh's achievements was rebuffed by the Abia state-born woman, who exposed the legislator's demand for bribe, after which she was given a clean bill of health by PricewaterhouseCoopers following allegations of financial impropriety against her.
2. Akinwunmi Adeshina: He is the current president of African Development Bank. A position he thoroughly deserves because of his untainted record as a distinguished public servant. A graduate of the University of Ife, Adeshina is Nigeria's former minister of agriculture and his time in office revolutionized the sector in Nigeria. He particularly intiated a transparent process in the sector's fertiliser supply chain which helped the cause of local farmers thereby increasing farming activities and boosting food production across the nation. Before his appointment as a minister by former President Goodluck Jonathan, Adeshina had a stint at Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) where he served as vice president of policy and partnerships. He also previously worked at the Rockefeller Foundation.
3. Mohammed Barkindo: He was recently appointed as the secretary general of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). His appointment didn't come as a surprise to industry experts as Barkindo has been a major stakeholder in international oil politics for over a decade. He was also the former special assistant to Late Rilwan Lukman, also a former secretary general of OPEC. Apart from his rich history in oil and gas, The 56-year old also has experience in the banking sector and international trading companies. He was appointed as the group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 2009. He was however booted out of office by former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2010 after which he returned to OPEC. Barkindo has an honourary doctorate degree of science from the Federal University of Technology Yola (FUTY).
4. Babatunde Osotimehin: Ogun state-born Osotimehin is the Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and he is currently serving in his second term of four years. Before his appointment as UNFPA head, Osotimehin was Nigeria's minister of health under Late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua. Before then, he was the Director-General of the National Action Committee on AIDS (NACA), a position where he achieved great success. In October 2009, Osotimehin was applauded for his directive to Nigerian hospitals to treat accident and gunshot victims. His directive was timely as many innocent citizens had lost their lives due to the hospitals negligence. Osotimehin is a member of the Nigerian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Nigerian Medical Association, Nigerian Institute of Management and Royal College of Physicians (UK) among others.
5. Yemi Babington-Ashaye: An ally of Nigeria's former minister of finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Babington-Ashaye is the head, Global Shapers Community and director at the World Economic Forum. He started his career as a Chartered Accountant (ACCA) and was a member of the Financial Management Programme at the financial services unit of the American conglomerate General Electric - GE Capital. While working for the minister of finance as technical advisor for economic growth, he ensured the integration of economic data and information into the decision-making process, which culminated in the development of State of the Nation reports that guided policy priorities. In addition to overseeing fiscal policy matters, he also designed stakeholder outreach sessions which were effective and applauded by financial experts.
Source: Legit.ng
