Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), yesterday advocated policy consistency to drive development.
“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,” she said.
The former finance minister delivered a keynote address at the opening of the week-long Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos.
Its theme is: “Pressing forward: a national posture for rebuilding Nigeria.”
Okonjo-Iweala decried a phenomenon she labelled as the “not-in-my-administration syndrome” of jettisoning policies.
The economist believes certain sacrosanct policies should not be changed whenever there is a change in administration.
Okonjo-Iweala said: “Nigeria today is not where it should be, and our country has not progressed as it should have.
“That is why, more than 60 years after independence, we are still discussing nation-building.
“But we must shift our focus from blame games to concrete actions that tackle present and emerging challenges.
“I said this not in recrimination or even in futile regret, but rather as part of moving our country and advancing its interests.
“We are living in very difficult times, locally here in Nigeria, but also globally.
“I’m not here to castigate or blame anyone, I’m here to speak to all governments of my country, all political parties, all Nigerians, about a positive way forward for the country…”
