The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has rubbished speculations that she is nursing a Presidential ambition come 2023.
Okonjo-Iweala, who at one time was Nigeria’s Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, refuted the widely circulated reports, adding that it is a rumour that is utterly ridiculous and not true.
The reaction follows comments from some Geneva trade officials who were quoted as saying that she would be leaving her job as the WTO Director-General to run in the 2023 presidential election in her home country, Nigeria.
However, in a statement on Friday, October 1, 2021, to Bloomberg News, Okonjo-Iweala denied claims that she is set to resign from her WTO position as part of plans to contest for the country’s number one post as she has no interest in running for Nigerian presidency in 2023.
In the statement to Bloomberg, she said, “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.”
Describing the rumours as “utterly ridiculous”, she maintained that she is focused on doing her job as the WTO chief and achieving some milestones with the organisation.
Recall that Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala began the year with a plan to score quick negotiating victories that she said would help restart the dysfunctional Geneva-based trade body, but she has been faced with the frustrating reality of things remaining unchanged in WTO.
Okonjo-Iweala was reported to have earlier this year, repeatedly told ambassadors and staff that she could easily walk away from the job, and reminded them she had not bought any furniture for her temporary home in Geneva.
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