NIGERIAN EX-FINANCE MINISTER BECOMES WORLD BANK MANAGING DIRECTOR.
Come December 1st, 2007 Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Nigerian ex-Finance Minister will become one of the Managing Directors of the World Bank. She will be joining Juan Jose Daboub of El Salvador and Graeme Wheeler of New Zealand in that capacity.
Confirming this appointment in an announcement he made on October 4th 2007, the World Bank president Robert Bruce Zoellick said, "Ngozi brings a unique set of skills and experience to the World Bank Group. As an outstanding Minister of Finance and Foreign Minister in Nigeria, Ngozi helped lead the country’s reform programme on issues of fiscal prudence, transparency of government account, good governance, and anti-corruption".
The President concluded his encomium on the new MD by saying: "She knows the World Bank Group well from her 21 years of service. Her commitment to the developing world is unparalleled. She is an internationally respected world leader. I am delighted she has accepted to join my senior team".
Meanwhile, the United States chapter of the Pro-National Conference (PRONACO) has criticized the appointment. According to Empowered Newswire report of Tuesday Oct. 16th, the Chairman of PRONACO US, Dr. Baba Adam said the appointment ‘looks like a payback’ and ‘a revolving door appointment’. He said: "This appointment may violate privy important national economic and fiscal information and other non disclosure agreements".
On the contrary, another U.S based Political and Economic Strategic Center (Afripol) has honored Dr. Okonjo-Iweala referring to her as an "Outstanding Citizen of Nigeria" for her giant strides. She is being described as "a role model to Africans and citizens of our globe" She is also called "a distinguished and acclaimed economist, a visionary and first-rate intellectual with pragmatic problem solving abilities.
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, a princess from Ogwashi-Uku in Delta State of Nigeria was born on June 13,1954 to Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo a retired professor of Economics at the University of Ibadan and now the traditional ruler of Ogwashi-Uku and Prof. (Mrs.) Kamene Okonjo also a retired professor of Sociology from the University of Nigeria Nsukka.
Okonjo-Iweala graduated with an A.B magna cum laude in Economics from Harvard University, and holds a Ph. D in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She is a recipient of numerous awards and honors including Time Magazine European Hero 2004, Euromoney Magazine Global Finance Minister of the year 2005,and Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Colby College 2007 amongst others .She is married to Dr. Ikemba Iweala a United States based neuro-surgeon and they have children.
