Former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Monday, met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, in a visit that may not apparently be unconnected with her quest to clinch the position of Director General DG of the World Trade Organisation, WTO.
Okonjo-Iweala was at the presidential Villa accompanied by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo, his Minister of State, Maryam Katagum, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zubair Dada,
Okonjo-Iweala whose candidature has received a strong support from the Federal government, is contesting the position of the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) against the South Korean candidate, Yoo Myung-hee of the Republic of Korea who was shortlisted alongside Okonjo-Iweala, ahead of the likely final selection in November, 2020.
This is coming amidst reports that this is the first time in the history of the WTO that a woman will be the World Trade Organisation DG, which is expected to make the position more competitive.
Businessday gathered from Presidency sources that Okojo-Iweala’s visit is not unconnected with her efforts to appreciate President Buhari who had since expressed the support of Nigeria and that of his administration for her effort to clinch the plump position.
