Admin l Friday, February 05, 2021
LAGOS – Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala now remains the sole candidate for the top job in World Trade Organisation(WTO).
Okonjo-Iweala became the sole candidate for the Director General of WTO following the decision of her fellow contender, Yoo Myung-hee, the South Korea Trade Minister to drop out of the race. Yoo Myung-hee said on television that she decided to drop out of the race after close consultation with the United States of America.
Yoo Myung-hee, much favoured by the former President of the US, Donald Trump was defeated by the Nigerian during the election but Donald Trump had to veto the decision and in the process scuttling Okonjo-Iweala’s clear victory and taking hold of the WTO job. The US, under Donald Trump was the major dissenting voice during the election.
But the emergence of Joe Biden watered down Trump’s influence with Biden obviously in favour of the best candidate to take up the leadership of the WTO. Moreso, Biden has made it a policy to normalize relations with nations that became US enemies under the Trump Presidency.
Yoo Myung-hee had vowed to revitalize the World Trade Organization for a better US-China Trade deal.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala , a Harvard trained economist remains Nigeria’s best Finance Minister. She had spent 25 years at the World Bank and rose to become Vice President of World Bank. She is well revered in Nigeria for negotiating and pulling Nigeria out of long term indebtedness to the International Monetary Fund, IMF and the World Bank.
She was born June 13, 1954 in Ogwashi-Ukwu Delta State. She is from a royal family, his father being the Obi of Obahai Royal family.
