Former Minister of Finance and current Director General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iwe
ala said a lot of trust has been broken since the 2023 general elections. Okonjo-Iweala made the announcement at the swearing-in ceremony of the governor-elect in Abuja, the capital of the nation, on Monday. Ngozi said no government can achieve growth and progress without first building trust, adding that nation building cannot happen without citizens trusting their political leaders. He said: "If one of the conditions for building a successful country is taking into account the wider global context, another condition is trust and a sense of common purpose. "I am still convinced that a better future is in our collective hands. But to move forward and capture it, we need political and business leaders at the state and national levels to agree on policies that promote growth and development. "We should aim to double our growth rate and sustain that higher growth until we reach the upper middle income level. We can also aim to double Nigeria's share of world trade from 0.33% to 0.66% within ten years. We need confidence to make such a compact. “Nation building is impossible without trust – perhaps especially in Nigeria. Even before independence, the generation of leaders who led us to freedom understood the importance of faith in the success of our nation. “Honorable governors, let's face it: trust in Nigeria has always been fragile, but since the election, a lot of trust has been broken. "Nigeria is a country without a social contract, which means that Nigeria's political leaders have never been able to agree among themselves to adhere to common principles, values and policies that consistently serve their citizens, regardless of ethnicity or political persuasion." The former finance minister said governors-elect must restore confidence through their policies and programs to regain the support of Nigerians. He added: "Country Missions, you have a lot of healing to do - within your spaces and among them. Through your words, actions and policies, you must show Nigerians that they are equally loved. So that they can settle and do business in any country without fear. I love Nigeria deeply and want to feel welcome in any part of the country. “Just as the various states need to rebuild people's perception of Nigeria, we must collectively rebuild the Nigerian brand in the wider regional and international economy. "Country stories are important in capital allocation decisions - especially for emerging markets and developing economies. In the past, when we presented a positive story with a credible reform path behind it, foreign investment followed. "If we showed that we are aware that we are responsible for about 70 percent of the West African sub-region and 23 percent of the GDP of sub-Saharan Africa, and we managed our country and economy responsibly so as not to profit. we will. respect not only ourselves, but also the region and subregion. "We must continue to realize that Nigeria has a big role to play both at home and abroad and we must lead our country better not only for ourselves but for the rest of Africa."