Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has refuted the claim that she threatened to resign from her post.
An earlier report had asserted that Okonjo-Iweala, who is the first woman and African to head the WTO, was getting frustrated with the way things are run in the organization and has contemplated resigning if no solution can be found on critical issues.
Bloomberg reported that five trade officials, who did not want to be identified, said that Okonjo-Iweala has come to terms with the frustrating reality of the WTO’s historical inertia, and was on the brink of quitting.
Reports also have it that she repeatedly told ambassadors and members of staff that she could easily leave the job, and told them she hasn’t bought any furniture for her temporary home in Geneva.
While responding to ThisDay’s question on whether she threatened to resign, a source in Zurich, Switzerland said: “She did not threaten. She did express quite a lot of frustration. I will tell you … she is an extraordinary person but at a very difficult job.
“I do not think it is easy to explain to someone how difficult the job actually is. There are only a handful of people that sat in that seat. I have seen closely a lot of director generals and any time you think you have a difficult job, just think about the director general of WTO.”
Also, Bloomberg reported that Okonjo Iweala responded to a question whether she had interest in the 2023 general elections and denied any interest in running for the Nigerian presidency. She described the speculation as “utterly ridiculous and not true”.
She said: “I just got here, I’m enjoying what I am doing. It is a very exciting job and I am trying to have some success here.”
