Okonjo-Iweala Speaks on Alleged Plan to Resign from WTO Job, Contest 2023 Presidency
- Amid the report of an alleged resignation plan, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has said she is enjoying her role as WTO DG
- The former finance minister in Nigeria said the WTO job is a very exciting one and she is trying to record some successes
- Okonjo-Iweala also dismissed the speculations that she is mulling the idea of joining the presidential race in Nigeria in 2023
Geneva, Switzerland - Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has said she is still enjoying her job amid a report of alleged resignation plan.
A report by Bloomberg had stated that Okonjo-Iweala, having spent seven months in office, has "fully grasped the frustrating reality of the WTO’s historical inertia" and mulled the idea of resigning "if no headway can be found on critical issues".
Source: Getty Images
The news media cited as its source "five trade officials in Geneva who declined to be identified".
It further claimed that Okonjo-Iweala has repeatedly told ambassadors and staff that she could easily walk away from the job, and reminds them she hasn’t bought any furniture for her temporary home in Geneva, the headquarters of the organisation.
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Bloomberg also cited the unnamed officials as suspecting that Okonjo-Iweala, a former finance minister in Nigeria, wants to run in the 2023 presidential election.
I am enjoying what I’m doing - Okonjo-Iweala
Contrary to the claim of the unnamed trade officials, Okonjo-Iweala told Bloomberg she just got the job and is enjoying her new position.
The WTO DG added that she is trying to record some successes as the trade organisation's boss.
Her words:
“I just got here. I am enjoying what I’m doing.
“It is a very exciting job and I am trying to have some successes here.”
The secretary-general of the International Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, also reportedly ruled out the idea of Okonjo-Iweala quitting the WTO job.
Okonjo-Iweala speaks on 2023 presidency
Meanwhile, Okonjo-Iweala also reportedly denied any interest in running for the 2023 presidency.
The former minister was said to have described such speculation as “utterly ridiculous and not true”.
Okonjo-Iweala raises alarm over unauthorised use of her name
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the DG of the WTO, Okonjo-Iweala, raised an alarm over the use of her name for the advertisement of events she has no knowledge about.
Nigeria’s former minister of finance made the disclosure in a statement through her media adviser, Paul Nwabuikwu on Sunday, August 8.
According to the WTO boss, the practice which has been intensified lately on online platforms as well as WhatsApp, Facebook and other social media is being carried out by mischievous people.
Okonjo-Iweala: My life was threatened over ghost workers, oil subsidy scam
In another report, the director-general of the WTO has revealed the extent to which people tried to silence her when she was reforming the country as a finance minister during the administrations of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
According to her, she was threatened for saving Nigeria huge sums of money from the oil subsidy scam.
She disclosed this while speaking during an interview organised by Atlantic Council, a United States think-tank on international affairs.
Time Magazine's 2021 100 Most Influential Persons
After breaking an African jinx by becoming the first person - and first female - from the continent to head the WTO, Okonjo-Iweala has been named as one of the most influential persons in the world.
She made the top 100 list recently released by America-based magazine, Time Magazine.
While congratulatory messages have continued to pour in for the amazon, her son wasn't left out in the roll call as he hailed the mother.
In a lengthy congratulatory message on LinkedIn, 38-year-old Uzodinma described her mother as one of the most influential persons in his life.
Source: Legit.ng
