Olaosebikan Lauds Buhari over Three Nigerians Ruling World of Trade

Olaosebikan Lauds Buhari over Three Nigerians Ruling World of Trade

Kemi Olaitan in Ibadan

A media consultant, Alhaji Kehinde Olaosebikan, has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari, for three Nigerians leading trade and commerce bureaucracies of African continent and the entire world simultaneously, saying Nigeria is the first country in the world to achieve this feat.

Olaosebikan, the Chief Executive Officer of Midas Communications, a global PR firm, in a statement made available to THISDAY in Ibadan, yesterday, said the achievement by Nigeria confirmed the success of the international relations policy of the present government and the propriety the President enjoyed across the world.

He said with Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala stepping in as the seventh Director General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), in Geneva, Switzerland, Nigeria already has Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, as the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Prof. Benedict Okey Oramah as the President and Board Chairman of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank),

He maintained that the three Nigerians got the continental and global positions with the full support of the country and direct decisive policies and actions of Buhari, adding that with the occupation of the three eminent positions by Nigerian citizens, Nigeria under the leadership of the President has recorded an unprecedented accomplishment in the world.

According to him, “No other country of the world, whether in Europe, Asia, South America, North America, Antarctica or Oceania has had the rare privilege of having her citizens occupying the three trade and investment positions at the same time. Before Ngozi Okonjo Iweala’s assumption of office, six countries, namely; Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Thailand, France and Brazil had produced Directors General of the Organisation but none of the nations was privileged to have her citizen as head of either the development or investment bank or organisation of her continent at the same time.

“Europe had produced three past Directors General of the WTO in Peter Sutherland of Ireland, (January 1, 1995 to April 30, 1995); Renato Ruggeria of Italy (May 1995 to August 30, 1999) and Pascal Lamy of France, (September 1, 2005 to August 8, 2013), and in all these periods, neither of these countries had her citizen as the President of European Investment Bank. (Sir Brian Unwin of the UK from1993 to 1999, Phillippe Maystadt , Belgium from March 2000 to December 2011 and Werer Hoyer led the European Investment Band during those periods.)

“Supachan Panitchpakdi of Thailand that served as the Director General of the organisation between September 1, 2002 and August 31, 2005 was the only WTO President produced by Asia and during the period, Japanese Tadao Chino was the President of Asian Development Bank.

“The tenure of the immediate past Director General of WTO, Robert Azevedo of Brazil from South America coincided with the Presidency of Luis Carranza of Peru as the President of the Latin American Development Bank.New Zeeland did not also produce the President of the Oceanic Development Bank during the tenure of Mike Moore as the Director General of the World Trade Organization from September 1, 1999 to 31 August 2002.

“Today, the world has Nigerian Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina as the President of African Development Bank (AfDB) and Professor Benedict Okey Oramah as the President of African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank).”

Olaosebikan who lauded President Buhari for achieving the record feat for Nigeria, urged him to continue giving his total support to Nigerians seeking global and continental positions and recognitions so that the country would persist to enjoy bumper prestige worldwide.

He similarly charged Nigerians to be proud of the country, saying “It is also a time for all of us to be more dedicated, committed to the cause of our motherland and contribute our best in whatever we are doing and wherever we find ourselves. As the largest black nation in the world with over 200 Million people, we can effectively provide profound leaderships in all spheres of life, across the globe and this is what the Black World is expecting from us, Nigerians“

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