Nigeria’s candidate for Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala says that she is looking for volunteers to assist her campaign for the high profile position in public relations and other areas.
The two-time Nigerian Minister of Finance stated this during an interview on Arise Television’s prime news programme, NEWSNIGHT NIGERIA which was monitored in Abuja last night.
According to Okonjo-Iweala whose campaign has electrified the race and attracted the endorsement of the West Africa bloc, the practical support of volunteers is necessary because she lacks the resources to engage public relations firms and lobbyists that other candidates might be using.
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“So far things are going well and I’m grateful for the support of the government and Nigerians. I don’t have any PR firm working for me. I have some friends who are helping with media work pro-bono because I cannot afford to pay them. It would be nice to have some volunteers”.
She described the claim by Egypt’s candidate for the WTO that her nomination is not outside the rules of the African Union as absolutely not true, pointing out that the WTO has formally accepted her nomination because the position of the Egyptian candidate is faulty.
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She expressed gratitude to the Nigerian government, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade as well as other agencies for their strong support. etc.
On her qualification for the coveted job, Okonjo-Iweala declared “I am the best woman for the job”, citing her decades-long expertise as a development economist with extensive hands-on expertise in trade, her leadership skills as a pragmatic consensus builder and her global network of associates, partners, and friends which would stand her in good stead on the job.
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Okonjo_Iweaala described WTO as a critical global organization that needs to be reformed in key areas like dispute resolution, adding that its effectiveness will be enhanced if it becomes more inclusive by supporting women, MSMEs, etc.