Adamu Bello (born 20 May 1951) is a Nigerian politician who was Federal Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development from 2001 to 2007. He also headed the consolidated Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources from January to May 2007.
Early life and education
Bello was born in 1951 in
Numan,
Adamawa State
Adamawa state () is a state in the North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered by Borno to the northwest, Gombe to the west, and Taraba to the southwest, while its eastern border forms part of the national border with Cameroon. It tak ...
, Nigeria, the son of Justice Mohammed Bello. He had a comfortable childhood with a complete education. Justice Bello died in 1956 leaving Adamu in the care of his oldest brother, Justice Aminu Bello.
Bello graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from
Ahmadu Bello University
Ahmadu Bello University Zaria is a federal government research university in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria. ABU was founded on 4 October 1962, as the pioneer university in Northern Nigeria. It was founded and named after the Sardauna of Sokoto, A ...
,
Zaria
Zaria is a List of Nigerian cities by population, metropolitan city in Nigeria which at the present time lies within four (4) local government areas in Kaduna State, Kaduna state; it happens to be the capital city to the Zazzau, Zazzau Emirate ...
in 1975, and completed a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
in 1982. He attended
Harvard Business School's six-week
Advanced Management Program (AMP) in 1990.
Banking career
Bello started his career in banking in 1976 as an Investment Executive with the New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC). Between 1976 and 1981, he rose to become the General Manager of New-Devco Finance, a subsidiary of NNDC. In 1983, Bello joined
Habib Bank as
Deputy Managing Director, subsequently becoming Managing Director and then
Chief Executive
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
in 1988, remaining in the position until 1994. After leaving the bank he became a financial adviser, a real estate developer, and shareholder in numerous ventures until he was nominated as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Intercity Bank in 1998, followed by his appointment as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Habib Nigeria Bank in 1999, where he had previously been Chief Executive Officer.
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development
In January 2001, Bello was nominated by the President of Nigeria,
Olusegun Obasanjo
Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo, , ( ; yo, Olúṣẹ́gun Ọbásanjọ́ ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian political and military leader who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its presid ...
, to be Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, and he took up the post in February 2001. President Obasanjo renominated Bello after being re-elected in May 2003.
With Bello as Minister, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development improved the road network from rural areas to urban markets and provided water facilities to aid the irrigation of farmlands, sometimes in conjunction with the Ministry of Water Resources and the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
.
Bello is the longest-serving Nigerian Agriculture Minister.
Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources
In January 2007, the number of
ministries was cut from 34 to 19. The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Water Resources were merged to become the largest ministry, with Bello as the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources with two Ministers of State.
Controversy
Four months after Bello assumed his new post, he approved the import of a few million tons of beans into Nigeria from Burkina Faso, a decision which was strongly criticised in the media.
Bello was also accused by former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Senator
Bode Olowoporoku
Bode may refer to:
People
* Bode (surname)
* Bode Miller (born 1977), American skier
* Bode Sowande (born 1948), Nigerian writer and dramatist
* Bode Thomas (1918–1953), Nigerian politician
Geography
* Böde, village in Zala County, Hungar ...
, of conspiring with foreign companies to defraud the country in a 3.4 billion Naira deal over fertilizer imports. According to the allegations, a bag of fertilizer was said to cost N1500 in Ukraine, the main import country, but was allegedly sold by the ministry for N2800 with the margin on each taken by the minister. Bello told the Federal Cabinet that the disparity was due to transport and duties costs incurred during the delivery of the fertilizer from Ukraine to Nigeria, which was accepted by the Cabinet. The case was dismissed by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud (419 fraud) and money laundering. The EFCC was established in 2003, partially in response to pre ...
(EFCC) and
Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
Olowoporoku continued with his proceedings against Bello, even escorting the Minister of State for Agriculture, Bamidele Dada, out of the Senate chambers when he came to discuss the matter. Bello said that Olowoporoku had a vendetta against him due to not being awarded fertilizer contracts during the process, which could have earned him N200 million. The senator denied ever requesting contracts from the Ministry, but an investigation concluded that Bello was correct, and the Senate relieved Olowoporoku of his position as Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture and excluded him from all committees. He was eventually expelled from the ruling
People's Democratic Party. The affair was widely covered in the media.
Titles and conferment
Bello was conferred with the chieftaincy title of the "Dan Iyan Adamawa" in 1989 by the chieftaincy council of his native Gongola State. In 2003, he also received another chieftaincy title; "Otun Babalakin" in Ekiti State.
Bello was made a fellow of the
Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria
The Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) is the umbrella professional body for bankers in Nigeria.
The CIBN was incorporated in 1976 as the Nigerian Institute of Bankers.
It was chartered in 1990, and is now covered by the CIBN Act 5 ...
(FCIB) in 1991. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Honoris Causa) by the
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology
Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) is a tertiary institution located in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria. The university enrolls over 30,000 students and employs more than 3,000 workers including contract staff.
History
In 1987, G ...
.
Bello was named a
Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic in December 2006, the first serving member of the Federal Cabinet to be decorated in this way. He has also received numerous leadership awards, and has been nominated for Minister of the Year Awards by numerous media
organisations
An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose.
The word is derived from ...
in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
.
Personal life
Bello is married to pharmacist Lubabatu Bello, and they have six children.
References
External links
*Babatunde, Jimoh
Agric minister takes stock of achievement
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bello, Adamu
1951 births
Living people
Federal ministers of Nigeria
Nigerian expatriates in the United States
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business alumni
People from Adamawa State