Okonjo-Iweala Meets Tinubu, Canvasses Policies to Improve Welfare of Nigerians

•President working on interventions to relieve pains, says Pate

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

Director General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, yesterday, met with President Bola Tinubu, as part of efforts to address the present challenges facing Nigerians.

Okonjo-Iweala also said the government was very much aware of the hardship Nigerians were going through.

Addressing newsmen yesterday, after meeting with Tinubu at State House, Abuja, Okonjo-Iweala, who said she had audience with the president in her personal capacity, was accompanied by former Minister of State for Health and minister-designate, Dr. Mohammed Pate.

She said the meeting focused on how to help Nigeria alleviate the suffering of the people.

The former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy said their conversation with the president centred around formulating approaches to stimulate job creation, fostering women’s empowerment, and bolstering digital trade within Nigeria’s economy.

Okonjo-Iweala said, “So, this was not really an official WTO mission, but we were able to engage with Mr. President to talk about what are the kinds of programmes that could be put in place to make sure that we had a conversation on trying to look at community and grassroots programmes that can be put in place to create jobs for young people, trying to support women and children who are those who are bearing the brunt of some of the suffering in the country.”

She added that they also talked about investment for the longer term in several sectors in the country, including the pharmaceutical industry.

According to her, “We also talked about the type of support the World Trade Organisation can bring.

“We are already working in Nigeria with women, in particular, who own small and medium enterprises to try to help them upgrade the quality of their products, whether it’s in the agricultural area, textiles, and in other areas so that they can sell more internationally.

“We’re trying to help them with digital trade. The wave of the future is digital trade. So, how do we train and empower Nigerian women and small and medium enterprises throughout the country, create more jobs?

“That’s what’s needed now in Nigeria to alleviate these difficult conditions that they are in. So, that is what we discussed with Mr. President and as the Director General of the World Trade Organisation, we’re going to try to do the most we can to support Nigerians at this particular time.”

Pate, a former Chief Executive Officer of GAVI, the global vaccine alliance, corroborated the remarks of Okonjo-Iweala, and added that Tinubu was actively working to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.

He assured that the difficulty was transitory, noting that the president is committed to all intervention measures.

Pate stated, “I think I’ll just reaffirm that Mr. President is fully aware of the difficulties that people are facing, and committed and I think doing all that he can and with his team try to ensure that those sufferings are alleviated.

“That was the main thrust of the conversation that we had in terms of targeting those who are most vulnerable, women, children, youth, attracting investment opportunities that can grow the economy so that people will get some succour because the difficulties that we’re facing is transitory.

“I think with the vision of the president there’s reason to be very hopeful that we’ll navigate through this difficult times and have a Nigeria that sees us stronger, united and conspired to the greatness that is in our future.”

Pate also spoke on plans to promote grassroots programmes to support women and youth as well as prioritising health, particularly, health insurance, primary health care and hospital care.

According to him, “Mr. President also discussed with us some of the vision on health that he has and I think is great to see that health is one area where it connects everyone.

“Health affects everyone from the policy side, regulatory side, pharmaceuticals and quality of pharmaceuticals, the financing side, in terms of financial protection, health insurance, and all those elements, primary health care in every nook and cranny of this country, folks have ailments like malaria, vaccinations, treatment of basic diseases with primary healthcare system, as well as hospital care, which is very important.

“Because sometimes you have primary health care at the front ends you also have higher levels, care that is offered to tertiary facilities.”