At the opening ceremony of the 2024 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos, the Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, called for consistent policies in Nigeria, urging continuity regardless of changes in administration.
“Maintaining good economic and social policies, maintaining policy consistency, and adding more reforms on top of that will lead us along the path of good progress that we all desire,” Okonjo-Iweala said during her keynote address titled “A Social Contract For Nigeria’s Future” at the Eko Hotel & Suites.
The former Nigerian finance minister criticized the “not-in-my-administration syndrome” in governance, which she identified as a factor contributing to Nigeria’s economic struggles. She emphasized the need for a social contract that transcends political and other affiliations, ensuring that essential policies remain unchanged even as administrations come and go.
She also highlighted the importance of safeguarding the independence of vital economic institutions, particularly the Central Bank, and advocated for the inclusion of social safety nets and the provision of basic infrastructure in the social contract.
The conference, themed “Pressing Forward: A National Posture to Rebuilding Nigeria,” featured distinguished personalities, including former Ghanaian President John Mahama and Nigeria’s Vice President Kashim Shettima, who represented President Bola Tinubu
