Former President Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has congratulated Dr Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala over her recent appointment to two key international
positions, stating that her elevation underscores his belief that women have key roles to play in national and global development.
He also congratulated Dr. Omobola Johnson, the immediate past Minister of
Communication Technology who was recently appointed the Honorary
Chairperson of the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), a United
States based global coalition, committed to driving down the cost of
internet access in less developed countries.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s emergence as the chair of the Board of the Global
Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation, GAVI, as well as, appointment
as senior advisor to Lazard, the 167-year-old global investment firm,
makes her the third woman from Jonathan’s Government to be honoured
with key international jobs and the fourth so far. The others are Dr
Johnson, Ms Arunma Oteh former Director General of Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC) who became the Treasurer and Vice President
of the World Bank as well as Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, former Minister of
Agriculture and Rural Development, who was elected President of the
African Development Bank (AfDB).
In the congratulatory letter to Dr Okonjo-Iweala, the former President
described her appointment as a great honour to the nation, especially
coming “soon after serving Nigeria as Coordinating Minister of the
Economy and Minister of Finance in my Administration.”
He further described her as an achiever whose leadership as the head
of his economic management team, brought about the successful
implementation of far-reaching reforms in many sectors including
power, telecoms, agriculture, financial services and infrastructural
development.
On his preference and quota for women participation in Government
during his time, the former President said: “It further underscores my
belief that women of high integrity and proven abilities should be
given the opportunity to directly contribute to national and
international development. This is consistent with the global thinking
that women who excel in their various professions should be encouraged
to participate in governance.”
Giving more details of Okonjo-Iweala’s achievements, the former
President wrote: “Through your vision, the nation was able to
implement some rewarding reforms in public financial management
including the launch of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to boost
dwindling revenue, as well as the introduction of the Integrated
Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), which eliminated
thousands of ghost workers from the public service system.
“I believe that this record of high performance in my Government
weighed heavily in your favour and helped put you on top of the list,
during the man-hunt and competitive international search process to
fill these positions.
He said further in the letter to Dr Okonjo-Iweala: “I am encouraged by
the fact that your responsibilities in the new positions fall within
your familiar career purview of strengthening institutions, building
systems and advising countries on structuring their finances and
dealing with debt issues.
“I have no doubt in my mind that you would excel in the two
assignments, given your past record of excellent service both in
Nigeria and internationally.
“Nigeria maintained a robust growth trajectory, averaging 7% annually.
While growth in the developed and many emerging markets continued to
regress due largely to a global economic downturn, Nigeria remained
one of the fastest growing economies in the world and became the
largest economy in Africa. Nigeria also became and has remained the
largest African recipient of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and we
also maintained a single digit inflation.
We transformed Agriculture boosting local production; and, for the
first time, recorded an appreciable leap in life expectancy from 47
years to a little over 51 years.”
In the letter to Dr Johnson, the former President praised her for the
implementation of policies to deepen internet penetration, especially
the development of the National Broadband.
“There is no doubt that A4AI has made the right choice as it seeks to
drive down high broadband prices in developing countries, given your
track record of deepening internet access in Nigeria during my tenure
as President.
“I am convinced that you have the capacity to provide the required
strategic policy guidance and lead A4AI’s high level international
advocacy to bring more billions online, across the world.”
