Obadiah Mailafia
Obadiah Mailafia | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956-12-24 Randa, Kaduna State, Nigeria |
| Died | 2021-09-19 Abuja, Nigeria |
| Occupation(s) | Economist, Politician |
| Known for | Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; ADC candidate in 2019 Nigerian presidential election; Chief of Staff at African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States |
Obadiah Mailafia (24 December 1956 – 19 September 2021) was a Nigerian economist specializing in development and was the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate in the 2019 Nigerian Presidential election. He held the position of Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and previously worked with the African Development Bank Group. Additionally, Mailafia served as Chief of Staff at the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), a Brussels-based multilateral development organization.
Early life and education
Mailafia was born in Randa, Kaduna State, into a missionary household; his father served as an Evangelist within the Evangelical Reformed Church of Central Nigeria. The family later relocated to Murya, Lafia, in Nasarawa State, where he spent his formative years.
His early education included attendance at Musha Sudan United Mission School from 1964 to 1969 and Mada Hills Secondary School in Akwanga from 1970 to 1974. After receiving the Commissioner of Education's Award, he pursued 'A' Levels at Ahmadu Bello University's School of Basic Studies between 1974 and 1975. He graduated in 1978 from Ahmadu Bello University with a B.Sc. Honours degree in Social Sciences, covering Politics, Economics, and Sociology, followed by a master's degree from the same university.
In 1985, Mailafia acquired a Certificate in French Language and Civilization from the University of Clermont-Ferrand. The following year, he earned a Diplôme—comparable to an M.Phil.—in International Economics from Institut International d’Administration Public (IIAP), affiliated with France’s École Nationale d'Administration. He completed his doctorate (DPhil) at Oxford University's Oriel College in 1995, supported by a Foreign and Commonwealth Office scholarship.
Career
Mailafia began his professional journey teaching Government and Economics at Akoko Anglican Grammar School in Ondo State during his National Youth Service Corps year (1978–1979). Subsequently, he returned to Ahmadu Bello University as a Graduate Assistant from 1980 to 1982, instructing undergraduates and assisting Professor Ibrahim Gambari, who later became Nigeria’s Foreign Minister and UN adviser.
Between 1982 and 1989, he was a Fellow and Acting Research Director at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS). During this period, he contributed to governmental reports on Local Government Reforms and the Maitatsine Religious Riots, providing counsel on economic policy and macroeconomic reforms. He also participated in a committee that helped prevent armed conflict during the Nigeria-Cameroon Bakassi Peninsula dispute. At NIPSS, Mailafia was guided by notable figures such as Chief Simeon Adebo, Pius Okigbo, and Moshood Kashimawo Abiola.
From 1990 until 2000, Mailafia held various academic roles internationally: resident tutor at Plater College Oxford (1990–1995), assistant professor for New England College’s overseas program (1995–1996), lecturer in international finance at Richmond Business School London (1997–1998), and lecturer at Regents Business School London (1998–2000).
He then served as chief economist within the Strategic Planning and Budgeting Department of the African Development Bank Group from 2001 to 2005, operating out of Abidjan and Tunis. In this role, he oversaw projects spanning power generation, infrastructure development, agriculture, and industry throughout Africa. Acting as task manager, he coordinated grants to research bodies including the Council for Social Science Research, African Economic Research Consortium (AERC), and African Capacity Development Foundation (ACBF). He authored the Concept Note endorsed by AfDB’s board that facilitated creation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and was part of the AfDB-UN Economic Commission for Africa Joint Committee supporting NEPAD’s establishment.
Mailafia also functioned as secretary to the senior management committee responsible for the Ninth Replenishment of the African Development Fund and participated in managing the HIPC Trust Fund alongside institutions like the World Bank and IMF.
From 2005 through 2007, he occupied the role of Deputy Governor at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). As a board member, he directed monetary policy formulation, economic research initiatives, and maintained international relations with organizations such as IMF and World Bank. He was instrumental in implementing the banking consolidation program between 2005 and 2006 that reduced Nigeria’s commercial banks from 89 to 25 via mergers—a reform widely recognized among developing economies.
Between 2010 and 2015, Mailafia acted as Chief of Staff (Chef de Cabinet) to the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States headquartered in Brussels. Serving as senior adviser to the Secretary-General for this group comprising 79 members, he managed strategic operations while coordinating with partners including the European Commission, European Parliament, European Investment Bank (EIB), UN agencies, IMF, and World Bank. He oversaw a €22 billion budget under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and €31.5 billion under its successor, the 11th EDF (2015–2020).
Furthermore, Mailafia collaborated with EIB on administering a €5 billion Intra-ACP Resources Fund—covering initiatives like the Africa Infrastructure Fund and ACP-EIB Investment Facility—and chaired the ACP Strategic Management Group. He also authored the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan for Renewal and Transformation spanning 2011 to 2014.
Controversial views
On August 20, 2020, Mailafia asserted during a local radio broadcast that certain ex-Boko Haram members had revealed a northern governor as the leader of the terrorist faction. Three days afterward, Nigeria's broadcasting authority, the NBC, imposed a ₦5 million penalty on the station for transmitting what it labeled as "unsubstantiated and provocative statements" with potential to incite unrest. In the ensuing weeks, the State Security Service (SSS) summoned Mailafia for further explanation, while the national police initiated a criminal probe. In response, Mailafia claimed in an interview that influential political actors had threatened his life in efforts to silence him.
Political career
In the 2019 Nigerian presidential race, Mailafia ran as a candidate representing the African Democratic Congress (ADC). His entry into politics followed a landmark alliance among the Middle Belt Forum (MBF), South Afenifere of Yoruba land, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, and PANDEF from the Niger Delta region.
Death
Mailafia passed away due to complications from COVID-19 on September 19, 2021, at the National Hospital located in Abuja, Nigeria.
Selected publications
- Mailafia, O. Europe and Economic Reform in Africa: Structural Adjustment and Economic Diplomacy, Routledge, New York and London, 1997;
- Mailafia, O. "The Social Character of Nigerian Diplomats," featured in Sunny G. Tyoden (ed.), Essays on Nigerian Foreign Policy, National Institute Press, 2007.
- Mailafia, O. (ed.) Challenges and Opportunities in the Nigerian Economy, NIPSS Press, 1989.
- Mailafia, O. “Human Rights and Global Distributive Justice,” included in Anikpo & G. Shepherd (eds.) Emerging Human Rights: African Political Economy Context, Greenwood, New York, 1990.
- Mailafia, O., Capital Markets Liberalization in Developing Economies: Theories and Evidence, delivered at the CBN Senior Executive Seminar in Calabar, February 2007.
- Mailafia, O., “Economic Reform in Nigeria: Lessons from the Asia Pacific,” forthcoming chapter in Paul Collier and Charles Soludo (eds.), Economic Reform and Policy Choice in Nigeria, Oxford University Press.
- Mailafia, O. “Industrial Policy in Nigeria,” commissioned report for the German Ministry for Development Cooperation, German Institute for Development, Bonn, December 2009.
- Mailafia, O. “The Prospects for Democracy in Central and West Africa," paper prepared for the Commonwealth Foundation, London, June 2010.
- Mailafia, O., Europe Seen from Africa, chapter within Stefan Schepers & Andrew Kakabadze (eds.), Rethinking the Future of Europe: A Challenge of Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2014.
- Mailafia, O., Fighting Corruption and Growing a Sustainable Nigerian Economy, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria Annual Lecture, Abuja, October 2016.