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WTO DG Okonjo-Iweala praises economic team assembled by Atiku 1999 -2003
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, WTO, has on Wednesday, confirmed that Atiku Abubakar, the 2027 Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, put together and led the best Economic Team as Vice President of Nigeria, till date.
The WTO DG spoke at the presentation of a book, titled: “The Pain and The Promise”, by Paul C. Nwabuikwu, who served as her Media Adviser, during the President Olusegun Obasanjo and Vice President Atiku Abubakar administration.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala who attended the event as the Guest of Honour, stated during her address that she left her position at the World Bank, to assume a Ministerial position in Nigeria, after she was approached and informed of the economic plans Vice President Atiku was trying to achieve for Nigeria, by putting together a formidable Economic Team.
She noted also that Paul was one of the best parts of the Economic Team of excellence put together by Vice President Atiku.
The WTO DG hailed the success of the transformational Reforms programme spearheaded by Atiku, while crediting Paul for his great contribution in the masterful steering of communication that led to parts of the success.
Agreeing with some excerpts from the book, she acknowledged the hard work done by the Atiku-led Economic Team; specifically mentioning debt relief, public financial management, transparency, infrastructure development, entrepreneurship, institution building and structure reform.
While noting the hard work of the Economic Team, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala stated that she is proud and appreciative that she was part of that Team.
Speaking further, she stated that the Team’s work was not just about implementing Reforms, saying: “It was also about embodying a different type of government; a more accessible and accountable government, focused on results.”
She quoted a part of the book, saying: “Having observed them at close quarters, it is tempting to believe that members of the Economic Team were chosen, not only because they had what it takes to play leading roles in the Economic Reform process, but also because they share a strong collective conviction that government needs to demystified; that governance needs to be focused on what matters, results. Their motto seemed to be, let us roll up our sleeves and get the work done with as little farce as possible.”
She went further to speak on the reform of the Banking consolidation, agreeing that Banking consolidation restored confidence in the safety of peoples deposits.
Iweala stated that until Nigerians can overcome the ethnic, religious and regional divides embedded in our society, to forge a social compact that agrees on key directions for the nation, directions shall remain steady, no matter who is in government.
She concluded: “I think Nigeria will find it difficult to move forward, at the pace required to create enduring prosperity for our people.”
Recall, that Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was Minister of Finance from 2003 to 2006, then got sacked by President Obasanjo, for going against his controversial Third Term Agenda. He later appointed her as Minister of Foreign Affairs, where she served for just 63 days, before returning back to the World Bank.
The Enugu State Government has suspended His Royal Majesty, Igwe Eze William Ezugwu, the traditional ruler of Ibagwa Ogbozalla Opi Autonomous Community, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu state.
The state government accused Igwe Ezugwu of violating provisions of the state’s Traditional Rulers Law.
In a letter of suspension dated September 24, the Enugu State Government cited his alleged failure to constitute his cabinet, failure to establish a Town Union governing body, and persistent conduct deemed inconsistent with the laws governing traditional rulers in the state.
The suspension comes barely three weeks after Igwe William Ezugwu received NDC presidential candidate Peter Obi at his palace in Opi, Nsukka LGA, where he reportedly blessed Obi’s presidential ambition.
The Deputy Commander of Operation Rainbow, CSP (Chief Superintendent of Police) Dennis David Babale, has been killed after gunmen suspected to be Fulani Bandits ambushed personnel of the security outfit along the Bokkos-Barkin Ladi road in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Operation Rainbow is a State-backed community security and intelligence-gathering outfit in Plateau State, Nigeria, originally established in 2010 under former Governor Jonah Jang and recently revamped by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to combat rural violence and beef up grassroots security.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 4:06 p.m. on Tuesday, September 22, 2026 when the personnel, travelling in a Toyota Hilux vehicle, came under attack by unidentified gunmen.
Troops of Sector 4, Operation ENDURING PEACE (OPEP), responded to a distress report and moved to the location of the attack.
Sources told reporters that Babale sustained gunshot wounds during the ambush and was evacuated to the General Hospital, Barkin Ladi, for medical attention.
Following the attack, troops, working alongside personnel of other security agencies, launched offensive operations and a manhunt for the assailants within the general area.
Security forces have intensified efforts to track the attackers and prevent further attacks along the route.
Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the World Meteorological Organization, Prof. Charles Anosike and other Chief Executive Officers of similar agencies across the world, have concluded a one week high level dialogue on Climate Science Information for Climate Finance and the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange (SOFE) in Beijing, China.
The event which was hosted by World Meteorological Organization (WMO), took place from September 14 to 18, 2026 and featured discussions on: strengthening the role and leadership development of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in mobilizing climate finance; aligning scientific and technical capabilities with risk-informed, people-centred early warning systems; shifting from technical assistance to sustainable investments by expanding practical cooperation between meteorological frameworks and multilateral financing entities; and support to NMHSs leadership on strengthening strategic thinking and fostering productive partnerships.
Held back-to-back with the High-level dialogue was the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange to Fujian Province for first-hand exposure to the implementation of Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) platform – China’s AI-driven meteorological early warning solution in support of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative and disaster risk reduction practices through technical exchanges, field visits and peer learning.
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