Dr Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank, has said that a former Nigerian Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, is a man of integrity and warned against misinformation.
Adesina stated this in a tweet after a British lawmaker, Tom Tugendhat, accused Gowon of “stealing half of Nigeria’s Central Bank.”
Tugendhat spoke on Monday during a parliamentary debate on a petition seeking that the United Kingdom government impose sanctions on Nigerian officials involved in the alleged excessive use of force on peaceful protesters during the #EndSARS protests.
Gowon has denied the accusation, describing it as “rubbish.”
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The former Nigerian Head of State said in an interview with BBC:
I don’t know where he got that rubbish from, I served Nigeria diligently and my records are there for all to see.
Adesina, who had this year been locked in a controversy at the AfDB, described Gowon’s integrity as “impeccable.”
The former Nigerian Minister of Agriculture tweeted:
Be careful of misinformation! H.E. General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former Head of State, is a man of great honour, decency, honesty, amazing simplicity, humility and integrity. I know him. A great and admirable elder statesman of Nigeria. His honesty and integrity are impeccable.
Be careful of misinformation! H.E. General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s former Head of State, is a man of great honour, decency, honesty, amazing simplicity, humility and integrity. I know him. A great and admirable elder statesman of Nigeria. His honesty and integrity are impeccable. pic.twitter.com/YznYN873qH
— Akinwumi A. Adesina (@akin_adesina) November 26, 2020
In the meantime, some Nigerians opposed the position of Adesina as they described Gowon as one of the several past leaders that have failed the country and does not deserve to be supported by anyone.