President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the Nigerian candidate for the post of director general of the World Trade Orgnisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala that the country would deploy its resources to ensure her success.
Spokesman for the president, Mr. Garba Shehu said in a statement that Buhari made the declaration when he received Okonjo-Iweala yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
According to Shehu, the president stated that Okonjo-Iweala deserved more support to get the top job because of her profile and diligence in serving the country and the world.
“I assure you that we will do all that we can to ensure that you emerge as the Director-General of WTO, not only because you are a Nigerian, but because you are a hardworking Nigerian. You deserve this,’’ he said.
Buhari assured Okonjo-Iweala that he will make more phone calls, and send letters to some world leaders for more support.
“I did the same for Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina for President of the African Development Bank. Both of you served the country under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). You are both highly qualified. We will continue to support you. I will immediately make those calls,’’ the president told the former minister.
In her remarks, Okonjo-Iweala, who was former managing director (operations) of the World Bank, thanked the president and his cabinet members for supporting her candidacy.
“I feel very proud of Nigeria. I am getting so much support from you, Mr. President, Chief of Staff, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investments. The ministers have been working around the clock to ensure that I succeed,’’ she said.
She also appreciated ECOWAS leaders for their endorsement, mentioning, in particular, the outstanding contributions of President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic and immediate past Chairman of ECOWAS as well as President Alhassan Quattara of Cote d’Ivoire.
She asked the president to “make one final push within the week to beat the Koreans and bring this to Nigeria by sending a few letters and placing telephone calls to some world leaders, and also thank others for their support.’’
“Mr. President put a smile on my face,’’ she said, “I am very proud of the country.’’
Okonjo-Iweala, 66, served as her country’s first female finance and foreign minister, and has a 25-year career behind her as a development economist at the World Bank, eventually becoming its number two.
She is also on Twitter’s board of directors and is a special envoy for the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 fight.
She is a renowned global finance expert, an economist and international development professional with over 30 years of experience, having worked in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America.
She is currently the chair of the board of GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance.
Recently, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, appointed her to serve as a member of her newly-established external advisory group.
In addition, Okonjo-Iweala served twice as Nigeria’s Finance minister, from 2003-2006 and 2011-2015 and briefly as Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs minister in 2006, the first woman to hold both positions.
