As the interview to? select a new president for the? World Bank holds today, the candidacy of Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been described as “manifestly superior’’ to any other.
Prof. Ade Adefuye, Nigeria’s Ambassador to the Unites States of America, said this in New York yesterday in an interview with the North America Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said following the endorsement of Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy by the African Union (AU), a meeting of the African Ambassadors to the U.S. was summoned and was attended by all Ambassadors.
Adefuye said the meeting was also attended by ambassadors from other developing countries “where I spoke as much as I knew about the African candidate.
“As far as the condition of the post is concerned and quality is concerned, Okonjo-Iweala is above other candidates’’.
The envoy urged other ambassadors to appeal to the conscience of the world that it was time to emphasise quality and qualification, rather than politics in the selection of the Bank’s President.
He said he had met the Ambassador of Jamaica to drum support for the Minister, adding that plan had been concluded to meet the Group of Caribbean Ambassadors to make the same point.
“We want to appeal to the conscience of the world that it is quality that matters. Not that Okonjo-Iweala only has the relevant qualification, she demonstrates competence in dealing with problems of the third world.
“She will make the World Bank more relevant to the developing countries. She will make developing countries to have sense of belonging in the World Bank.’’
Interviews to select a new president of the World Bank are scheduled to hold from April 9 to April 11 in Washington D.C.