The Nigerian Government has described the selection of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as “the right choice, which will do the organization a lot of good in years to come”.
Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Adeniyi Adebayo, said this in his speech delivered via zoom at the Special General Council Meeting of the organization in Geneva, Switzerland.
He said the process of selection was not only transparent but the credit for the resulting success must go to the entire membership and the troika.
“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 goes 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 Director-General selection process,” he said.
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.
“We believe that the new Director-General will lead this organization to achieve its purpose and mandate,” he noted.
He assured that the new Director-General of the WTO would not disappoint the organization and all those who worked to make the appointment a reality.
“Dr. Ngozi during her campaign 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.
“She also assured that she would work hard, with the support of members, to uphold the image and integrity of the WTO as a multilateral institution that was established to serve members equally.
“Likewise, she will put more effort towards mediating among members to ensure that factors responsible for divergences on various negotiating issues are addressed and streamlined so that the 12th Ministerial Conference (MC-12) will have fruitful outcomes on some basic issues,” the minister added.
The minister called on all members to give the new Director-General all the cooperation, support and solidarity that would be required for her to work with a view to making the WTO a truly outstanding multilateral institution.
