Nigeria is reaching out to the United States of America (USA) and South Korea to ensure Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala land the top job as the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum, has said.
The American government is opposed to the recommendation of Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance for the top global job.
The Minister, while thanking others that have been backing the United Nations ex-official for the position, said the Federal Government would lobby other nations to secure the needed consensus.
She assured the citizens of regular updates on the quest to making the Delta State native the first African and woman to head the global organisation.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, Katagum, who also chairs the campaign strategy team for the mission, said everything legal and diplomatic would be deployed to seeing to the announcement of the Nigerian as next WTO chief executive at a Special General Council meeting holding on November 9.
She pointed out that the U.S. was holding back its support because it preferred the South Korean rival for the post.
She said: “Government wishes to inform that the third and final round of consultations for the selection of the WTO DG, which commenced in Geneva on October 19, 2020, was concluded on October 27, 2020.
“The chair of WTO General Council, Amb. David Walker of New Zealand, with the facilitators of the selection process, chair of the Dispute Settlement Body and chair of the Trade Policy Review Body (Troika), on October 28 at the meeting of WTO Heads of Delegation in Geneva, informed the WTO membership that the Nigerian candidate for the WTO DG, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, secured overwhelming support of members both in terms of number and geographical spread.
“She has therefore emerged as the candidate most likely to gain consensus as WTO DG.”
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