Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister of Finance and World Bank presidential candidate on Monday in Abuja conceded that the U.S., candidate for the post would win.
Okonjo-Iweala’s comments came few hours before the 25-man executive board of directors of the bank meets in Washington to decide who gets the post.
She told a packed audience at the Nicon Nuxury Hotel in Abuja, at the presentation of the 2012 budget, that the selection of a World Bank president was not based on merit.
“I want people to know what is happening and that is that they are voting.
“This thing is not really being decided on merit, it is voting with political weights and shares and therefore the U.S. will get it,’’ she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the audience chorused “no’’ as the minister declared this.
“I know all of you are praying that a miracle happens and we all believe in God almighty, but God has also given us common sense to know that they are going to use their weight to get it.
“But don’t worry as Mr President said we have won, we have already declared victory,’’ the minister said.
“We have made the process (for electing the World Bank president) different, it will never ever be the same again.
“We have shown that we can contest this thing and Africa can produce people capable of running the entire architecture (of the Bank),’’ she added.
Okonjo-Iweala, José Antonio Ocampo of Colombia and America’s Jim Yong Kim were originally the three candidates vying for the post, but on Friday Ocampo pulled out to shore up support for Okonjo-Iweala. (NAN)