Okonjo-Iweala: Buhari Kills Two Birds With One Stone |The Source

By Comfort Obi

You will, please, excuse the cliché above. But that is the only title I find suitable for this write -up. I may be wrong.

As Nigeria celebrates the record-breaking Dr Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, the import and irony of her appointment as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, should not be lost on us.

We already  know that she is the first African to hold the position. We also know that she is the first woman to hold it. But there are two points we are either not emphasising and re-emphasising, or we are deliberately ignoring them.

One: In Nigeria, her country of birth, Okonjo-Iwela is the Biblical rejected stone.

Two: it is, surprisingly, thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari that she is, today, occupying this high profile seat.

Okonjo-Iwela, you remember, was a two-time Nigeria’s Minister for Finance. It was under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime that she was introduced to Nigeria, especially, ordinary Nigerians.

Until then, I never heard her name before, even though she was the Managing Director of the World Bank.

As the Finance Minister under Obasanjo, she shone like a million stars. She managed, quite well, an economy that had been ravaged due to a long period  of Military rule. Between her and Obasanjo, especially, due to her experience, expertise, network, and  knowing which buttons to press in the financial world, Nigeria got a much needed debt relief. I forget how much relief we got now, but what I know, however, is that  we have since gone back to Egypt. Nigeria owes more than it did when it got the debt relief.

Okonjo-iweala had a smooth, working relationship with Obasanjo, or so we thought. However, we woke up one day, and saw that she had been redeployed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We never really knew what went wrong.

Even though she could fit in there, it was not really her turf. From day one, she complained about outdated computers, and websites that had not been updated for months. She resigned from Obasanjo’s Government. And  went  back to operate at the international level, from where she came, and where she truly belongs.

But about a couple of years later, she was brought back to Nigeria by President Jonathan, given, again, the Finance Ministry, with an added responsibility. She was asked to Coordinate the  Economy. So, her portfolio was double-barelled – Minister of Finance/Coordinating Minister of the Economy. Many people called her Nigeria’s Prime Minister.

Again, she started the good job of managing the economy. But the bad blood associated with politics, especially, at the time, almost, made it very difficult for her to operate. The bitterness against the Jonathan Government by the the main opposition party then, the APC, was transferred to her. The conspiracy was infectious.

For the most minute reasons, she wasinvited to the National Assembly, by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

At a point, she said an office should be provided for her at NASS, since members wouldn’t allow her work in her office over incessant invitations.

The opposition slammed on everyday basis, her management of the economy. The economy has been ruined by her, they scream. Former National Chairman of the APC, Adam’s Oshiomhole, is on record as saying: “Okonjo-Iweala has ruined the economy.” Most members of the APC are agreed that the economy collapsed under Jonathan, meaning, under Okonjo-Iweala’s management.

The Nigeria Governor’s Forum, NGF under then Rivers State Governor, now Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi fought and opposed her every inch of the way. They didn’t want any money saved. They opposed the Sovereign Wealth Fund, SWF. Bring everything to the table, they said. And even went to Court to challenge the Fund. Still, we are now told by some of them who resisted the SWF, that Jonathan’s Government refused to save.

Now, this is where Buhari shocked. Even though he agreed, and still agrees with his party members that the economy collapsed under the PDP,  he saw a good product in Okonjo-Iweala. He never personally criticised her. He knew the truth about her, and the management of the economy. For that, he did the unexpected. He bent over backwards to set Okonjo-Iweala up for history.

When the opportunity came for Africa to present a candidate for the DGship of the WTO, the Nigerian Government had presented somebody else, incidentally, from the North. But a couple of days before to the end of the nomination of candidates, Buhari pulled a fast one.

He remembered a more solid candidate in Okonjo-Iweala, than the one Nogeria had earlier presented. So, he withdrew his previous nominee, and replaced him with the former Finance Minister.

Even though Okonjo-Iweala is not a politician, she has since been dubbed one by bitter politicians. In nominating her, the President ignored partisan politics for the pride of the country.

A PDP Chieftain who pleaded anonymity admitted this other day that  the President shocked them by his nomination of Okonjo-Iweala to the WTO top job.

But that was also how Buhari backed Dr Akinwunmi Adesina, Jonathan’s Minister for Agriculture, for the President of the African Development Bank, AfDB in 2015, even though Adesina had applied for the job before Buhari was sworn-in. The pride of the country came first, even though the APC, before it came to power, had slammed Adesina’s tenure as the Minister for Agriculture.

In nominating Okonjo-Iweala, and backing her until victory, Buhari killed two birds with one stone.

As mentioned earlier, he pushed partisan politics aside. Two, he proved, even if it is this once, that he could pick one of the many cerebral, over qualified,hot brains from Igboland for a top job. Now, those who argue that the President does not discriminate against the Igbo, especially, when it concerns high profile  appointments, has a  point to throw around. They will always point at Okonjo-Iweala, and tell the story of how Buhari withdrew a Norhern nominee for her. They are not likely to add that as qualified as that nominee is, he does not have as much clout as Okonjo-Iweala in international circles, and may not have secured victory for Nigeria and Africa.

Proudly from the Igbo speaking area of Delta State,  the new WTO boss is, also,  married to an Abia man.

In making history, the world is not  celebrating not just Okonjo-Iweala, it is celebrating Nigeria. It is not celebrating Delta-Igbo, Abia or South East. The world is celebrating Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria, not Okonjo- Okonjo- Iweala of Igbo speaking area of Nigeria.

The glory goes to Nigeria.

Finally, many thanks goes to Buhari for nominating her,  Jonathan for the courage he had to  bring  her back to manage the economy after her first outing,  Obasanjo for “introducing” her to most Nigerians, and her family for giving her to us, enduring all the insults thrown at her for serving her country, and  especially, for enduring the kidnapping of their matriarch because of the job  she was doing.

The Lady, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Cultural Ambassador, who  proudly flaunts our Ankara before the world, as they  say, ROCKS.