In a report published by PUNCH, Abia State has launched the first batch of 20 electric buses for a green shuttle service, with WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala joining Governor Alex Otti at the rollout.
Officials say the programme aims to modernise urban mobility while reducing emissions and improving commuter experience, with deployment expected to be phased as systems mature.
The major sustainability test is infrastructure—charging points, maintenance capacity, route discipline, and funding to keep the fleet operational beyond the initial headlines.
Governor Otti said: “We are starting small. Not all 20 buses will be on the road at the same time… As we deploy them, we will learn, adjust and improve.” ARISE TV also quoted Okonjo-Iweala praising the move as “extraordinary.”
Echotitbits take: This can become a credible model only if reliability is maintained. Watch for charging rollout, service frequency, fare policy, and whether the plan scales into Aba and other economic corridors.
Source: The Punch— December 24, 2025 (https://punchng.com/okonjo-iweala-joins-otti-for-electric-buses-rollout-in-abia/)
The Punch 2025-12-24
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday held a video conference with Mr Charles Michel, President of the European Council, during which the latter reiterated Europe’s support for Nigeria’s Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the next Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The President is leading Nigeria’s charge for Okonjo-Iweala, the country’s former Minister of Finance, to emerge as the first Black and female WTO DG.
President Buhari thanked the European Council for its support for Nigeria’s candidate.
Also discussed during the conference were issues bordering on debt relief for Africa, EU-African relations and recharge of the Lake Chad, which has currently shrunk to less than one-third of its usual size, and throwing about 130 million people who depend on the Lake into dire straits.
Former Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nigeria’s nominee for the position of the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is set to emerge winner of the competitive race to the highly coveted head of the international body.
Reuters on Wednesday reported that a key group of WTO ambassadors proposed Okonjo-Iweala to lead the trade organisation on Wednesday,
The official announcement is expected to be made later today by WTO.
Okonjo-Iweala served as Finance Minister twice, that was during the tenures of former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan.
She has experience working at international governance bodies as a former managing director of the World Bank and as a chairman at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.
Once officially announced, Okonjo-Iweala will be the first African and first female director-general of the international body in its 25-year history.
President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abuja assured Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance and Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, that the country will explore every opportunity and deploy its entire energy to ensure that she becomes the Director-General of World Trade Organisation (WTO), presidency spokesman, Garba Shehu, said in a statement.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala is one of two candidates contesting for the top position of the multilateral institution.
President Buhari, who received the former Managing Director (Operations) of the World Bank at the Presidential Villa, said she deserved more support to get the top job because of her profile and diligence in serving the country, and the world.
President Buhari receives in audience Former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in State House on 12th Oct 2020
“I assure you that we will do all that we can to ensure that you emerge as the Director-General of WTO, not only because you are a Nigerian, but because you are a hardworking Nigerian. You deserve this,’’ he added.
The President assured Dr Okonjo-Iweala that he will make more phone calls, and send letters to some world leaders for more support.
“I did the same for Dr Akinwunmi Adesina for President of the African Development Bank. Both of you served the country under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). You are both highly qualified. We will continue to support you. I will immediately make those calls,’’ the President told Dr Okonjo-Iweala.
In her remarks, Dr Okonjo-Iweala, a renowned development economist, thanked the President and his ministers, particularly the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment for supporting her staunchly.
President Buhari receives in audience Former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in State House on 12th Oct 2020
“I feel very proud of Nigeria. I am getting so much support from you, Mr President, Chief of Staff, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investments. The ministers have been working around the clock to ensure that I succeed,’’ she said.
The former Minister of Finance also appreciated ECOWAS leaders for their endorsement, mentioning in particular the outstanding contributions of President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic and immediate past Chairman of ECOWAS as well as President Alhassan Quattara of Cote d’Ivoire.
She asked the President to “make one final push within the week to beat the Koreans and bring this to Nigeria by sending a few letters and placing telephone calls to some world leaders, and also thank others for their support.’’
“Mr President, put a smile on my face,’’ she said, “I am very proud of the country.’’
Nigeria’s Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee, are the two candidates, out of five, who made the final round of the selection process for the top job of Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Reports stated that the trio of United Kingdom’s Liam Fox, Kenya’s Amina Chawahir Mohamed Jibril, and Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Maziad Al-Tuwaijri did not secure enough support needed to scale the second round of consultations.
With two women scaling through to the final round, it is almost certain that the WTO will be led by a woman DG for the first time in the organization’s 25-year history, a report by Reuters stated.
Nigerian born Okonjo-Iweala was Nigeria’s finance minister twice, first in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and second in the Goodluck Jonathan administration. She has experience working at international governance bodies as a former managing director of the World Bank and as a chairman at the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization.
Yoo has a 25-year career in government and is South Korea’s trade minister. She has helped expand her country’s trade network through bilateral accords with the U.S., China, and the U.K.
WTO General Council Chairman David Walker plans to formally announce the results to the institution’s delegates on Thursday morning in Geneva. The third and final phase of the consultation process will begin later this month and run until Nov. 6, after which the WTO will endeavor to name a consensus winner of the race.
Clouding the outlook for the selection process is the U.S. presidential election Nov. 3. The WTO makes decisions on a consensus basis, and a lack of American support for any of the finalists could mean delays in picking the new director-general.
If WTO members are unable to select a leader by consensus, a vote requiring a qualified majority could be held as a last resort, which would be an unprecedented development for the organization.
The campaign to lead the WTO during the most turbulent period of its 25-year existence is playing out against the backdrop of the pandemic, a worldwide recession, the U.S.-China battle for trade supremacy and the American election.
President Donald Trump has blasted the WTO as the worst trade deal in U.S. history and pledges to overhaul it to better suit the country’s interests.
The vacancy for the top WTO job arose when Brazil’s Roberto Azevedo decided to step down at the end of August, a year before his term was due to end.
WTO members view the race as an opportunity to reshape the organization, whose mission of economic integration is under threat from protectionist policies around the globe. Without reform, it risks being sidelined during the biggest economic crisis in a century.
PM
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