Nigeria, Africa proud of you, Atiku tells Okonjo-Iweala

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has congratulated Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala over her appointment as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation on Monday, 15^th of February, 2021.

Dr. Okonjo-Iweala, who is expected to resume her new position on March 1, 2021 on Monday made history as the first woman and the first African to head the organisation.

In a goodwill message, Atiku said all Africans, and Nigerians in particular are proud of her victory, charging her to go to Geneva, headquarters of the WTO, and make the continent and her country proud.

The former presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party described the new DG of WTO as a woman eminently qualified for the position. “Dr. (Mrs) Ngozi Okonjo Iweala is a woman I know very well, because we worked at close quarters between 2003 and 2007, when she served in our administration in various capacities, most notably as Finance Minister.

“It is not hyperbole when I say that no one could be more qualified for the job of Director General of the World Trade Organisation than her, and I congratulate her for her success at being the first female and African DG of the WTO.

“She is an apostle of free trade and an astute manager of people and resources, and the world will be a much more prosperous place by her elevation to this enviable height.

“As the world prepares to emerge from the global pandemic of COVID19, the planet needs a steady hand at the wheel, to drive global trade, and rebuild from the devastation wrought by the virus. We would not need someone who thinks they can pull this off. We would need someone who has actually and serially pulled it off before. And that person has emerged,” he added.