US Senate confirms Nigerian as 1st black Deputy Treasury Secretary

The United States Senate has confirmed Nigerian-born Adewale 'Wally' Adeyemo as the nation's first black Deputy Secretary of the Treasury.
The 39-year-old was confirmed via a voice vote on Thursday, March 25, 2021, weeks after the Senate Finance Committee unanimously approved his nomination made by President Joe Biden back in November 2020.

The Yale alum will serve as Number 2 under Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, who herself made history as the first woman to occupy the role.

"Wally is everything the Treasury Department needs right now," Yellen said in reaction to his confirmation on Thursday.

"I am confident that Wally will handle his mission as Deputy Secretary like he’s handled everything else during his career: with integrity and excellence," she said.

Adeyemo, born in Ibadan, Oyo State, previously served in a number of roles under the President Barack Obama administration, including several senior management positions at the Treasury Department.

He also served as the Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economics, and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council under Obama, and was the first President of the Obama Foundation.