Published On: Mon, Apr 16th, 2012

USAfrica: Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala loses World Bank president post; positively impacts process. By Chido Nwangwu

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Chido Nwangwu Dr. Kim Nigeria Obama Okonjo-Iweala President Barack Obama voting World Bank

Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala loses World Bank president post; but positively impacts process.

By Chido Nwangwu, Founder & Publisher of USAfrica

Special to USAfricaonline.com, the USAfrica-powered e-groups of Nigeria360, IgboEvents, UNNalumni, and CLASSmagazine Houston. Follow us at Facebook.com/USAfricaChido and Twitter.com/Chido247

USAfrica, Monday April 16, 2012: The World Bank has, a few minutes ago, selected U.S citizen, Korean-born scholar and doctor, Jim Yong Kim, as its new president.
The 52-year-old president of Ivy League college Dartmouth Dr. Kim defeated the more experienced opponent Nigeria’s coordinating minister for the economy and finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala of Nigeria.

The developing countries especially African and a few Latin American countries rallied behind Okonjo-Iweala to mount a major and significant challenge to the massive clout of U.S and Europe in picking the leader of the global bank. USAfricaonline.com recalls that on March 23, 2012, U.S president Barack Obama nominated the public health expert Kim to replace current World Bank president Robert Zoellick, an American.

A few hours before the voting and selection, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala criticized the process, noting: “You know this thing is not really being decided on merit…. It is voting with political weight and shares, and therefore the United States will get it.” She was a managing director of the World Bank.
She told reporters in Abuja that the impact of her candidacy is that “Who gets to run the World Bank – we have shown we can contest this thing and Africa can produce people capable of running the entire architecture.”

Similarly, in a post-selection statement, the World Bank said: “We, the executive directors,

President Barack_Obama, Jim-yong-kim_and Hillary-Clinton.2012

wish to express our deep appreciation to all the nominees, Jim Yong Kim, José Antonio Ocampo and Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. Their candidacies enriched the discussion of the role of the president and of the World Bank group’s future direction. The final nominees received support from different member countries, which reflected the high calibre of the candidates. We all look forward to working with Dr. Kim when he assumes his responsibilities.”

A few days before the election, the influential magazine The Economist argued that: “When economists from the World Bank visit poor countries to dispense cash and advice, they routinely tell governments to reject cronyism and fill each important job with the best candidate available. It is good advice. The World Bank should take it. In appointing its next president, the bank’s board should reject the nominee of its most influential shareholder, America, and pick Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.”

USAfrica notes that with the 57-years old Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy, the ancient process and prior assumptions at the leadership of the World Bank are being effectively challenged and changed, symbolically and substantially — even amidst the reality of U.S power and influence in economics, money and politics.

WHY I CELEBRATE THE LIFE AND WORKS OF NELSON MANDELA. By Chido Nwangwu http://www.usafricaonline.com/2010/07/15/mandela-why-i-celebrate-his-life-works-by-chido-nwangwu/

• For racist Soccer actions, Liverpool’s player Suarez should be suspended. By Chido Nwangwu. Follow us at Facebook.com/USAfricaChido and Twitter.com/Chido247

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Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica, USAfricaonline.com and the Nigeria360 e-group. http://www.usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/ : IF any of the Nigerian President’s 100 advisers has the polite courage for the extraordinary task of reminding His Excellency of his foremost, sworn, constitutional obligation to the national interest about security and safety of Nigerians and all who sojourn in Nigeria, please whisper clearly to Mr. President that I said, respectfully: Nigerians, at home and abroad, are still concerned and afraid for living in what I call Nigeria’s Federal Republic of Insecurity. FULL text of commentary at USAfricaonline.com http://www.usafricaonline.com/2011/12/17/nigeria-federal-republic-of-insecurity-by-chido-nwangwu/

Jonathan’s Boko Haram problem and firing of Ringim. By Chido Nwangwu

http://www.usafricaonline.com/2012/01/25/jonathans-boko-haram-problem-and-firing-of-ringim-by-chido-nwangwu/

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http://www.usafricaonline.com/tag/al-qaeda/

Related and prior reporting on the Jos crises on USAfrica, click here: http://www.usafricaonline.com/2011/08/16/10-killed-in-renewed-violence-near-jos/

News archives related to Jos, here http://www.usafricaonline.com/?s=jos

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http://www.groundreport.com/World/310-killed-by-Nigerias-talibans-in-Bauchi-Yobe-n-M/2904584

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http://www.usafricaonline.com/tag/al-qaeda/

310 killed by Nigeria’s ‘talibans’ in Bauchi, Yobe n Maiduguri; crises escalate. USAfricaonline.com on July 28, 2009.

www.usafricaonline.com/chido.ngrtalibans09.html

http://www.groundreport.com/World/310-killed-by-Nigerias-talibans-in-Bauchi-Yobe-n-M/2904584

–

Why Chinua Achebe, the Eagle on the Iroko, is Africa’s writer of the century. By Chido Nwangwu, Publisher of USAfrica, and first African-owned, U.S-based newspaper published on the internet USAfricaonline.com http://www.usafricaonline.com/chido.achebebest.html

——-

VIDEO of the CNN International broadcast/profile of USAfrica and CLASSmagazine Publisher Chido Nwangwu. http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2010/07/29/mpa.african.media.bk.a.cnn

USAfrica: As Egypt’s corrupter-in-chief Mubarak slides into history’s dustbin. By Chido Nwangwu. http://www.usafricaonline.com/2011/01/30/chido-nwangwu-as-egypt-corrupter-in-chief-mubarak-slides-into-historys-dustbin-egyptians-not-waiting-for-obama-and-united-nations/

Tunisia, Egypt . . . Is Nigeria next? By Prof. Rosaire Ifedi http://www.usafricaonline.com/2011/02/13/tunisia-egypt-is-nigeria-next-by-prof-rosaire-ifedi/

In the light of an icon, my mentor Stanley Macebuh (1942-2010). By Chido Nwangwu http://www.usafricaonline.com/2011/03/07/stanley-macebuh-tribute-by-chido-nwangwu/

Comments

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Barth Nwachukwu

@Uchenna52..let's not get carried away now. It is not as though Obama just picked Dr Kim off the streets. I am really not sure how you came to the determination that Dr Iweala is the best qualified for the job. If you had taken the pains to peruse Dr. Kim's resume, you, perhaps, would not be making such off the mark comments. You, understandably speak out of the abundance of the heart; and as such, I am going to overlook most of your uninformed remarks. Dr Kim is an expert in public health and a development professional; especially in community focused health care programs; with extensive work in countries like Haiti, Africa and most of Latin America. He is a pioneer in the design of treatment protocols for diseases such as tuberculosis and the use of cheaper and more effective drugs; with particular experience and remarkable success, I might add, in the treatment of multiple-drug-resistance tuberculosis. He has also been an adviser for the WHO, and, posteriorly, director of that body's HIV/AIDS department; with special attention to developing countries. Currently, the program he initiated has more than 7 million people on AIDS treatment in Africa, alone. Given that The World Bank is not your typical bank, I would submit that Dr. Iweala's banking qualifications and experience are relevant but not entirely indispensable. The WB requires someone, at its helm, who is conversant with the problematics of the developing world; not its academics, but hands-on experience! I believe the right man got the job; barring all appearance of influence peddling.

uchenna52

As a Nigerian female I am so PROUD of Mrs Ngozi Okonjo Iweala for putting up that fight and not intimidated by the powers that be. . i have no beef to grind with the new president because he did not have to fight to secure this position. There is no doubt he is very laudable in what he was doing before now , but am sure that when he goes to sleep to night he would have to deal with the fact that a more qualified candidate was skipped for him to fill the post. Ngozi we all know and continue to know is the perfect candidate for this job given her experience. When the new president assumes the position he will have to waste valuable time to learn the ropes , do we even contemplate how many lives would have been lost. now the election is over now Mr President you get to buisness and do not let your self be influenced by powers that be for handing you that golden platter. Also one more quick advice will be to swallow your pride , humble your self and seek advice from Ngozi as her wisdom will make you look good in the long run. Ngozi I would advise if he humbles himself be serviceable as it would benefit mankind not the powers that be, the President or yourself.. Ngozi once more women, the less privileged and those who think they can not do it,now can say , YES WE CAN, famous last words, is that not an irony judging who coined it and how this has all played out.

Sunny-Unachukwu Chukwuemeka John on Facebook

Well done anyways. You really shaked up things. Now your failure in this "selection" will definitely raise numerous important questions anout the World bank

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USAfrica: Nigeria’s Okonjo-Iweala loses World Bank president post; positively impacts process. By Chido Nwangwu

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