Nigeria Government has described the selection of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as the right choice which will do the organisation a lot of good in years to come.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo in his speech delivered via zoom at the Special General Council Meeting of the organisation in Geneva, Switzerland on Monday, said the process of selection was not only transparent but the credit for the resulting success must go to the entire membership and to the TROIKA.
According to him, “Nigeria wishes to express profound gratitude and deep appreciation to all the members, who one way or the other, assisted Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during the campaign period. Thanks also go to all the regional groupings in the WTO for granting audience and support during and after the exercise.
“We also thank the WTO Secretariat staff, translators and the press who worked really hard in supporting and providing updates to members and the general public on the DirectorGeneral selection process.”
The Minister in a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Ifedayo Sayo, described Dr Okonjo-Iweala as one of the few on the global stage that enjoy high recognition in view of charismatic leadership qualities and proven records of excellence and integrity, along with international political connections.
He stressed, “We believe that the new Director-General will lead this organization to achieve its purpose and mandate.”
He assured that the new Director General of WTO would not disappoint the organisation and all those who worked to make the appointment a reality, saying, “You will find her as a servant-leader who will always listen to you and work with you to achieve a common purpose.”
“Mr Chairman, Your Excellencies, may I take this opportunity to refresh our memories on the campaign promises made by Dr Ngozi having clearly identified various challenges affecting the WTO as a multilateral organization, she shared her thoughts on possible solutions that would be brought on board for discussion, consideration and implementation with a view to ensuring that the full mandates and functions of the WTO are enforced in accordance with the highest expectations of members.
