President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday, October 30, said the European Union (EU) has reiterated its support for Nigeria’s Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Mr. Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said that Buhari confirmed this at the end of a video conference with Mr. Charles Michel, President of the European Council, on Friday in Abuja.
The Nigerian leader thanked the Council for its support for the Nigerian candidate.
The reassurance is coming against the backdrop of the confusion triggered by the United States’ opposition to the emergence of the Nigerian former Minister of Finance, who has secured the widest support amongst the two female contestants left in the race.
U.S. President Donald Trump had described the WTO as “horrible” and biased towards China.
Washington has already paralysed the WTO’s role as global arbiter on trade by blocking appointments to its appeals panel. Now its action threatens to render it leaderless for weeks or months to come.
The WTO itself has called a meeting for Nov. 9, less than a week after the presidential election, by which time it hopes to have secured full backing for Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Washington has continued to support South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee in the final round of a more than four-month selection process.
