President Tinubu Knows Nigerians are suffering – Okonjo-Iweala

WTO Director General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has stated that Nigerian President Bola Tinubu is aware of the difficulties the country’s citizens are facing due to the removal of fuel subsidies.

Okonjo-Iweala made these remarks yesterday while speaking to the media following her meeting with President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja. She was accompanied by Dr. Mohammed Pate, the former Minister of State for Health and the Minister-designate.

She explained that she was in Tinubu’s office to talk about doing what she could to alleviate poverty in Nigeria.

Helping Nigerians “alleviate the difficult conditions that they are in,” Okonjo-Iweala said, “is what is needed now.”

Our discussion with the president focused on ways to stimulate the Nigerian economy through digital trade, the empowerment of women, and the creation of new jobs.

This was not a formal WTO mission, but we did meet with the Nigerian president and discuss potential programmes to ensure the safety of the country’s citizens.

We talked about how to help the women and children in the country who are bearing the brunt of the suffering by discussing community and grassroots programmes that can be implemented to provide employment opportunities.

Okonjo-Iweala added that they were able to discuss long-term investment opportunities in the pharmaceutical industry and other areas of Nigeria during their visit.

We also discussed the help that the World Trade Organisation, or WTO, can provide, she said.

We’re already working with female business owners in Nigeria to improve the quality of their goods so they can expand their exports. This includes the agricultural sector, the textile industry, and others.

We’re making an effort to assist with digital commerce. Digital commerce is the way of the future. How can we increase job creation in Nigeria by providing training to women entrepreneurs and small and medium businesses across the country?

That’s exactly what the people of Nigeria need right now to help them cope with the current crisis.

As the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, I promised Mr. President that the WTO would do everything in its power to help the Nigerian people during this difficult time.

Tinubu, according to Pate, the former CEO of GAVI (the global vaccine alliance), is working hard to alleviate the suffering and pain of the citizens.