Former Minister of Finance and Managing Director of World Bank, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has urged Nigerians to keep praying for her until the final announcement of the new Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Okonjo-Iweala was reacting to some media reports of her appointment as the WTO director-general.
The former Nigerian minister had on Tuesday, October 6, made the final cut in the race to becoming the next WTO DG.
Okonjo-Iweala and fellow female, South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee, advanced to the third and final round in the race to lead the Geneva-based trade body.
The global trade body is expected to name a new leader by November 7.
Three candidates missed out of the final list for the WTO DG. They are: United Kingdom’s Liam Fox, Kenya’s Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril, and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri.
Okonjo-Iweala, in a statement on Friday by her media adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu, while reacting to the news of her appointment, said she had not yet been declared winner of the contest.
The statement reads: “The race for the WTO director-general is still very much on.
“Contrary to inaccurate information released online by an unidentified source, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has not yet been declared winner.
“As announced by WTO, the former managing director of the World Bank and South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee are the final two contestants left in the race.
“The winner should be announced in two to three weeks. That remains the correct position. Dr Okonjo-Iweala is appreciative and energised by the enthusiastic support of Nigerians.
“And she is urging all to keep praying until the final whistle.”
The vacancy for the top WTO job arose when Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo decided to step down at the end of August, a year before his term was due to end.
WTO members view the race as an opportunity to reshape the organization, whose mission of economic integration is under threat from protectionist policies around the globe.
Without reform, it risks being sidelined during the biggest economic crisis in a century.
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