Okonjo-Iweala Hails Atiku-Led Economic Team as Nigeria's Most Effective, Reflects on Landmark Reforms
Deck: WTO Director-General says the Obasanjo-era economic management team set a benchmark for transparency, accountability and results-driven governance, while urging Nigerians to build national consensus for sustainable development.
By The Analyst
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has described the economic management team led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the most effective economic team Nigeria has assembled, citing its far-reaching reforms and commitment to accountable governance.
Okonjo-Iweala made the remarks on Wednesday while delivering an address as Guest of Honour at the public presentation of The Pain and The Promise, a book authored by Paul C. Nwabuikwu, her former Media Adviser during her tenure as Minister of Finance.
Recounting her return from the World Bank to serve in President Obasanjo's administration, the WTO chief said she accepted the appointment after learning about the ambitious economic reform agenda being coordinated by then Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the team of technocrats assembled to execute it.
She recalled that the administration's economic team pursued reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria's economy through fiscal discipline, institutional strengthening, transparency, debt relief, improved public financial management, infrastructure development and private-sector growth.
Okonjo-Iweala also paid tribute to Nwabuikwu, describing him as an integral member of the reform team whose strategic communication helped project and sustain the government's reform agenda.
According to her, the team's mission extended beyond implementing economic policies to redefining the culture of governance in Nigeria.
"It was also about embodying a different type of government; a more accessible and accountable government, focused on results," she said.
Quoting from the book, she noted that members of the economic team were selected not only for their competence but also for their shared conviction that governance should be transparent, practical and driven by measurable outcomes rather than political theatrics.
She further cited the banking sector consolidation as one of the defining reforms of the period, saying it restored confidence in Nigeria's financial system and strengthened the safety of depositors' funds.
Looking beyond the reforms, Okonjo-Iweala urged Nigerians to overcome ethnic, religious and regional divisions, stressing that the country's long-term prosperity depends on forging a shared national vision that transcends political administrations.
"I think Nigeria will find it difficult to move forward, at the pace required to create enduring prosperity for our people," she said.
Her remarks come as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections continue to gather momentum. While the comments have attracted attention following Atiku Abubakar's emergence as the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the WTO chief's address focused on her assessment of the Obasanjo administration's economic reforms and her experience as a member of the economic management team.