Nigeria’s candidate, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has defeated United States President Donald Trump over his effort to block her from becoming Director General of World Trade Organization (WTO).
This was as the former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy in Nigeria now scaled through the third and final hurdles in her bid to clinch the position, security majoring support among the 164 member countries of WTO.
At the centre of the heart of President Muhammadu Buhari has been that Okonjo-Iweala should be DG of WTO and he has never wavered in his commitment to ensuring that.
Her popularity for getting this far was also as most European Union member states have continued to express their support for her.
The Nigerian government, announcing the update of the cutest, on Thursday restated its commitment to ensuring that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala emerges as the Director-General WTO.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made this known in a press statement on Thursday, a day after the United States lone opposition stalled her declaration as the winner of the WTO race after securing the votes of 163 of the 164 members of the trade organisation.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement, titled, ‘Update on Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s aspiration to lead the World Trade Organization’, and signed by its spokesperson Ferdinand Nwonye, assured that Nigeria would continue to engage relevant stakeholders to ensure that the lofty aspiration of its candidate to lead the World Trade Organization was realized.
It stated that a meeting of the General Council of the WTO had been scheduled for November 9, 2020, for the final decision on the election process.
The statement reads:
”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform that the third and final round of the selection process of the Director-General of the World Trade Organization was concluded on Tuesday, 27th October 2020, and the result was formally announced on Wednesday, 28th October 2020. The candidate from Nigeria, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has secured the support of the majority of the member countries but is yet to be declared and returned the winner.
”This is because apart from winning the election, all the 164 Member States of WTO were expected to adopt the winner by consensus, in accordance with the rule of procedure of the WTO. It is important to highlight that Dr Okonjo-Iweala has secured cross-regional backing with only the United States opposing the consensus.”
US is backing Okonjo-Iweala’s sole opponent, Ms. Yoo Myung-hee of South Korea.
Recall that WTO spokesman, Keith Rockwell, was quoted by AFP as saying 27 delegations had taken the floor during Wednesday’s meeting.
“One delegation could not support the candidacy of Dr. Ngozi and said they would continue (supporting) South Korean minister Yoo. That delegation was the United States of America,” he added.
Rockwell, further stated that Wednesday’s meeting “was never intended to make a final decision on our next DG.”
“That decision can only be taken by the General Council.”
With the US’ opposition, the WTO’s 164 member states still need to determine whether they will support her at their next General Council meeting on November 9.
The BBC also reported on Wednesday that the WTO’s ambassadors have backed Okonjo-Iweala for the position.
If the former managing director of the World Bank finally clinches the position, she would be the first woman and the first African to lead the WTO.
However, the WTO’s effort to select a new leader by consensus hit a brick wall on Wednesday after the United States vetoed the move towards consensus.
Deputy US Trade Representative, Dennis Shea, said Washington won’t join a consensus to appoint Okonjo-Iweala because the US supported her opponent, South Korean trade minister, Yoo Myung-hee, according to WTO spokesman, Keith Rockwell.
According to Bloomberg, US Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, had pushed for Yoo even though Okonjo-Iweala gained American citizenship in 2019.
Sources close to him told Bloomberg that he viewed Okonjo-Iweala, a longtime top official at the World Bank, as being too close to pro-trade internationalists like Robert Zoellick, a former USTR from the Bush administration, who worked with her when he was president of the Washington-based bank.
WTO’s major decisions are made by a consensus of its 164 members.
This means that a single country, especially the world’s largest economy, can create a stalemate to pressure others.
The Geneva-based institution would keep working to reach a consensus ahead of the meeting of the General Council tentatively set for November 9, Bloomberg reported.
In her home country, Okonjo-Iweala continues to enjoy support from many Nigerians some of whom had congratulated her ahead of the final selection.
Professor of capital market, Nasarawa State University, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, said her emergence as WTO DG would be positive for Nigeria’s economy.
He said with her, Nigeria would be in a stronger position to champion the cause of the Africa Union’s African Continental Free Trade Area project.
The Trade Union Congress, in a statement signed by its President, Quadri Olaleye, and Secretary General, Musa-Lawal Ozigi, appreciated the Federal Government, Nigerians and all the countries that have so far supported her.
