Adeyemo, Okolo & Olorunnipa-Badejo: 3 Nigerians in Joe Biden's cabinet
With less than three weeks to take over the Oval Office as the president of the United State, Joe Biden has been making a number of crucial appointments across races in what has been described as a step in the right track for the biggest democracy in the world.
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The Democrat and former senator, 78, has appointed over 100 people among which are three Nigerians moments his victory over incumbent Donald Trump was sealed in December 2020 by the electoral college.
The appointment of the three Nigerian-born Americans, namely Adewale Adeyemo and Osaremen Okolo and Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo as deputy treasury secretary, COVID-19 advisor and associate counsel respectively has sent a message of positivity.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng outlines the background of the three Nigerians
1. Osaremen Okolo
A daughter of Nigerian immigrants, Okolo was appointed on Thursday, December 31, as one of the members of the Biden-Harris COVID-19 response team.
She was born by Nigerian parents and raised in Massachusetts. She graduated from Harvard College in May 2017.
She concentrated primarily in the history of science (medicine and society focus) with an allied, joint concentration in African-American studies. She also obtained a secondary in Global Health and Health Policy.
Source: UGC
According to The Street Journal, the Democrat served as a senior health policy adviser to U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.
While working for Schakowsky, she drafted, negotiated, and managed the Congresswoman’s legislation, oversight, and policy across comprehensive health care and public health agenda.
Outside of all things health, Okolo spends time writing creatively, fanatically cheering on her Boston sports teams and loves Nigerian food.
2. Adewale "Wally" Adeyemo
Adeyemo has served as the president of the Obama Foundation. He was born in Nigeria and raised in Southern California
Adeyemo received his undergraduate degree from the University of California at Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. He joined the Obama Foundation in August 2019 as its first president.
An ally of the US former president Barrack Obama, Adeyemo was the deputy director of the National Economic Council (NEC), the assistant secretary for international markets and development at the treasury department.
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The 39-year-old has also served as the deputy chief of staff of the treasury department in 2012 and chief of staff of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (FPB) for 16 months, starting in 2010.
Adeyemo worked as an editor at the Hamilton Project.
3. Funmi Olorunnipa Badejo
Nigerian-born Badejo was on Tuesday, January 12, appointed as one of Biden's legal advisers at the White House.
Funmi, who married another Nigerian Tunde Badejo, is from Kogi state, and she is an alumnus of Berkeley Law College in the United States.
A daughter of an immigrant who chooses to identify herself with Florida, Funmi was the general counsel of the House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis.
Funmi's legal career started as an associate with the law firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP and was Legal Counsel at Palantir Technologies Inc.
She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and the University of Florida.
COVID-19: Is Nigeria ready for another lockdown | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
