Two opinion pieces today, in the FT and Bloomberg, put forward the argument that Obama should have supported the nomination of Ngozi instead of proposing Jim Yong Kim.
In the FT’s “Obama made the wrong World Bank call”, Edward Luce says ” if the World Bank board was required to find the best-qualified candidate for the job – Dr Kim would be unlikely to find himself on a shortlist of three. In contrast, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the only African in the running, would be among anyone’s top picks. But the process doesn’t work like that. In spite of Mr Obama’s internationalist aspirations, fear of a domestic backlash clearly weighed even heavier on his mind. Here are three reasons why he should open up the process and release Europe from its pledge. Here is the full article.
In Bloomberg ,Clive Crook’s “Obama Has Made a Mess of the World Bank Succession”, the argument is put this way; “One of the other candidates in contention for the job is Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She’s a two-time minister of finance in Nigeria, where by all accounts she acquitted herself with distinction. She has also worked as a senior manager at the bank, so she knows what needs mending. You could argue she’s too much of an insider to be radical — in advance, who knows? But on paper, at least, her qualifications are far better than Kim’s. Look at it this way: If the two could swap passports, would anybody in the White House be making the case for Kim?’. Here is the full article
I agree with the second guy’s response. Ngozi acquited herself very well. She is the best for the job.
I am not sure you have your record straight. Nigeria’s foreign national debt was a sprawling national monumental challenge that was accumulated over 42 years of military rule. How much of that debt remains now? and who did the excellent job of freeing Nigeria from the Paris Club of Creditors happen? It was done by Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; first as Director Debt Management Directorate of the Ministry of Finance, later as Minister of Finance and again Minister of Finance. She was at one time Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria too. Ask President Obasanjo!!!!
I agree, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has threatening academic qualifications, which in the first place earned her the world bank job. To say that she performed wonderfully as a two time minister of finance in Nigeria, is far from reality. Nigerian masses can attest to this. There is nothing on ground to show that the economy of Nigeria which she supervised had ever recorded any tangible growth which translated into bettering the life of an average Nigerian. Her tenure has never witnessed any infrastructural development in Nigeria, whereas corruption has been the order of the day in the country with poverty; excruciating poverty flows through the land like a plague. Inflation; hyperinflation has always been on the rise, thus reducing the purchasing power of Nigerian masses to near zero. The world bank is an institution for development, but our lady, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, has not got that developmental culture; that is the reason her 2012 Budget allocated 73% of Nigerian GDP to recurrent expenditure – that is putting more money in the pockets of politicians at expense of already decayed infrastructure and social services that could benefit a lot of the people of Nigeria, e.g. medical care, education, environment, housing and others which are in very bad state, and some are non-existent at’ll. In view of her background, I can’t see her performing to the required standards or meeting the objective of the World Bank, if elected president of the bank.