The outgoing President of the African Development Bank, AfDB, Akinwumi Adesina, explained why he chose not to obtain citizenship of the United States.
Adesina emphasized the value he places on his Nigerian passport, stating that it is important to him.
He said: “You know, one of the things that I’m grateful for as a Nigerian: many, many years ago, when I was in graduate school in Nigeria, even after that, I had an opportunity to obtain a US visa. I was given a great visa, and I could have obtained US citizenship.
“And I say, I didn’t want it, not because I don’t like America. My kids are Americans, and they were born there, but I remember telling a colleague of mine that this passport is a Nigerian passport, a green passport.”
In an interview with Rufai Oseni of Arise Television, Adesina, a former Minister of Agriculture under Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, expressed his commitment to improving the reputation of the Nigerian passport.
Despite the fact that his children are US citizens, Adesina lamented the discriminatory treatment he faces when traveling abroad. He was elected as President of the AfDB in 2015 and was re-elected for a second term in 2020.
“I cannot and will never trade it for anything. It gives me a lot of grief wherever I go. You know, with family, my kids are probably asked to go right through, and I’m asked to stay behind. They ask you all kinds of funny questions, where were you born, when do you hope to die? Or any kind of question, just to make sure that you don’t get it.
“But I told this friend of mine that this part—God did not make a mistake in making me a Nigerian. He didn’t make a mistake in making me an African. I will live as a Nigerian, and I will walk by the special grace of God. But that passport, that green passport, will be respected just like everybody else in the world, right?
