By Uche Mbah
In a refreshing move, bound to take many critics of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration by surprise, the President has forwarded the name of renowned Economist and citizen of the World, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as Nigeria’s candidate for the office of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO.
Buhari has always been criticized for concentrating most high profile appointments in one side of the country. But Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment is more heart-warming because she served in the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, an administration Buhari has been , since his tenure, been bent on probing, from A to Z, everything it did.
She was the Minister for Finance under the President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government, and later, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, a position from where he resigned, describing it, almost, as a humiliation.
But the Jonathan government wooed her back to Nigeria, and not only reappointed as the Minister for Finance, but also the Coordinator of the Economy. Many had equated that position to that of a Prime Minister.
In 2015 when Jonathan lost to Buhari, Okonjo-Iweala went back “to the World”, and since then, has been “snapped-up”, by several important international companies and Organizations to either advise, consult or be on their board.
A couple of months ago, South Africa appointed her as a member of its Economic Team to advise the President, and shore up its Economy which is fast slipping into recession.
The election is billed to hold in Geneva next year. If she wins, she will serve for a four-year term from 2021 to 2025. She will replace the current president, Roberto Azevêdo as the seventh President of the Organisation. According to the General Council Chair David Walker of New Zealand, the nomination window begins from 8 June 2020 to 8th July 2020. Azevêdo is completing a second term.
“The Chair will inform WTO members of nominations as soon as they are received. After 8 July, Chair Walker will issue to members a consolidated list of all candidates. Shortly after the nomination period has closed, candidates will be invited to meet with members from Mexico, and at a special General Council meeting, present their views and take questions from the membership”, according to a document on the selection process.
The standard rule is for nominations to be submitted at least nine months before the election. It is done by the general council which consists of member states. nominations are usually done by home countries of nominees.
