Adewale Adeyemo, a 34-year-old first-generation Nigerian-American, was appointed to the position of Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics by President Barack Obama.
Adewale Adeyemo, a 34-year-old first-generation Nigerian-American, was appointed to the position of Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics by President Barack Obama.
President Obama announced Mr. Adeyemo’s appointment on Tuesday to the Washington DC press. The appointment has been met with wide acclaim by Nigerians throughout the diaspora.
Baba Adam, a leader of the Nigerian community and college administrator, commended President Obama for appointing Mr. Adeyemo describing it as “ascension of inspiration”.
During his confirmation hearing in September, Mr. Adeyemo made reference to his father waking him up in 1990 to witness the release of South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela from a 27-year long prison term.
Mr. Adeyemo grew up in California where he earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He then went on to Yale Law School before beginning work at the US Treasury Department.
During his time at the Treasury Department, he worked with Senator Elizabeth Warren as her Chief of Staff for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Mr. Adeyemo’s father Joseph Adeyemo is a school principal at the Terrace View Elementary School located in Grand Terrace, California.
In his new role, Mr. Adeyemo will be responsible for coordinating the US response to various international financial crises.