There are wide indications that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, the Nigeria and West African candidate for the top job at the World Organisation (WTO) will sail through. On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, she had a press conference organised by the WTO to prepare the eight of them contesting for the position.
Dr. Iweala made her points clear that she was going to head the organization with the sole objective of reforming and fixing issues that have been thorny in the organization. She pleaded with President Donald Trump not to pull out of the organization as the time for fixing the challenges in the organisatioin had come.
Iweala was nominated as Nigeria’s candidate by President Muhammadu Buhari on June 5, 2020. She is contesting the position of the director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) with seven other persons, one from Egypt, Mr. Abdel-Hamid Mamdouh, who is the second candidate from Africa. Her nomination was not initially accepted by Egypt, arguing that came late.
Since her nomination by President Buhari, she has been receiving accolades from a wide spectrum of Nigerians and the African continent. Okonjo is very vast in economics having held various positions where she had managed trade and money in diverse places. She was two times Nigeria’s minister of finance.
Just a few days back, a motion was moved by member representing Aniocha/Oshimili in the Federal House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, endorsing her for the director general of the World Trade Organisation. This nomination drew her attention.
In a message she posted on facebook on Wednesday night, she thanked Nigerians, President Muhammadu Buhari, Ndudi Elumelu, the minister of foreign affair and others for supporting her so far.
The post she made reads thus: “My sincere thanks and gratitude to His Excellency, President Buhari, to Chief of Staff, the House of Representatives and Hon Ndudi Elumelu, to Minister Foreign Affairs and his entire team, Minister of Trade and Minister of State Trade and their team, Ministry of Finance team and all Nigerians for their wonderful prayers and support!”