A thread by Dr. Joe Abah

With the nomination of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for the DG of the World Trade Organisation position, let me try to explain how things like this happen. If I have blocked you, you are not the type that needs the info. Thread..

If it is a position you are qualified for, the first thing you need is information. You need to know when the position of the incumbent is running out. You need to be aware of any “zoning” formula (yes, there is zoning in the international community too, even if it’s informal).

Even for positions within the country, having good information helps. There is one DG that overstayed his tenure by a whole TWO YEARS. Nobody outside the organisation knew. You’ll never see him in the press. He kept everyone sweet, until one person whispered to one of my friends.

That my friend was the MD of a big multinational but he wanted to work in the public sector. Armed with the information that the tenure of the DG had since expired, he wrote to the President to call his attention to it and attached his CV. He was appointed DG shortly after.�

Anyway, back to International Organisations. When the tenure of an incumbent is about to expire, the first thing to check is that Nigeria is a member of that international organisation. It would help if we’ve been paying our membership dues. It is member countries that nominate.

If Nigeria is a member, then your first port of call is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If you are abroad, you should start with the Nigerian Embassy where you live. Word of advice: Even if you have dual nationality, always ensure that you register with Nigerian embassy.

If you are young and are emigrating to Canada or anywhere else, don’t go and burn your Naija passport thinking “I am NEVER having anything to do with Nigeria again.” One day, constant light, good healthcare and hire-purchase Benzes will no longer be enough for you. Think am o.

In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, you need to find the right person, usually a Director with the title: ‘Under-Secretary for Regional and International Organisations.’ They are usually fiercely patriotic and will do everything to assist you once they know you are qualified.

The Under-Secretary will take you to the Perm Sec. The Perm Sec will scrutinise you CV and weigh you chances, because your nomination will cost Nigerian diplomats some political capital. Once he is convinced, the Perm Sec will take you (or just your file) to the Minister.

If the Minister is happy, he will direct the Perm Sec to prepare a letter which the Minister will send to the President alerting him of the vacancy and recommending your nomination. To get all of these things done, you need to waka o. If you are abroad, you need to come home o.

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