Former President Goodluck Ebele
Jonathan, yesterday, congratulated Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala over her recent
appointment to two key international positions, stating that her performance as
Finance Minister during his tenure as president was a major determinant in her
clinching the new appointments.
Jonathan, in a statement in Abuja, also congratulated Mrs.
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.
According to Jonathan, the appointment underscores his belief
that women have key roles to play in national and global development.
According to Naija parrot. the statement noted that
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, according to the statement are Mrs. 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 his congratulatory letter to Okonjo-Iweala, Jonathan
described her appointment as a great honour to the nation, especially coming
soon after she served Nigeria as Coordinating Minister of the Economy and
Minister of Finance in his 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, Jonathan 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.”
“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.”
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