Reports made available to Igberetvnews, revealed that former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, may pick the former Minister of Education and Co-Founder of BringBackOurGirls Campaign, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, as running mate, ahead of the 2019 Presidential polls.
This came contrary to report which has been flying around the social media, that Atiku had settled for former Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
Recall, that the former Minister of Finance, had denied having anything to do with a poster circulating on the internet, in which she was paired with Atiku, as candidate for 2019 Presidential election. The former Minister completely disowned the poster, in a statement signed by Paul Nwabuikwu, her Media Consultant.
On the other hand, sources who confided in Post-Nigeria, averred that the decision by Atiku to choose Ezekwesili as his running mate, was based on the fact that the Co-Founder of BringBackOurGirls Campaign, is a popular figure in the North, because of her doggedness in the fight for the release of the abducted Chibok Girls, and her vast experience in the economy.
According to her Wikipedia, she is a Nigerian Chartered Accountant, she was a Co-Founder of Transparency International, serving as one of the pioneer Directors of the global anti-corruption body, based in Berlin, Germany.
She served as a Federal Minister of Solid Minerals, and then as Federal Minister of Education, during the second-term Presidency of Olusegun Obasanjo.
Since then, she served as the Vice President of the World Bank’s Africa division, from May 2007 to May 2012.
Ezekwesili holds a Master’s Degree in International Law and Diplomacy, from the University of Lagos, as well as a Master of Public Administration Degree, from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Prior to working for the Government of Nigeria, Ezekwesiili was working with Professor Jeffrey Sachs, at the Center for International Development, at Harvard.
Ezekwesili started off in the former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration, as the pioneer Head of the Budget Monitoring and Price Intelligence Unit (aka Due Process Unit).
It was in this position that she earned the sobriquet of “Madam Due Process”, for the outstanding work she led a team of professionals to do, in sanitising public procurement or contracting, at the Federal level in Nigeria.
She was the architect of the Bureau for Public Procurement Legislation, the NEITI Legislation, and the new Minerals and Mining Legislation, during her six and a half years stint in government.
She was appointed Minister of Solid Minerals (Mines and Steel), in June, 2005, during which time she led a vibrant reform program that led to Nigeria’s global recognition as a credible mining investment destination.
She was also the Chairperson of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), and led the first ever national implementation of the global standards and principles of transparency in the oil, gas, and mining sector.
In June, 2006, Ezekwesili was appointed the Federal Minister of Education, holding this post until she took up her World Bank appointment in May, 2007.
Besides these sterling qualities, Atiku may get a block of votes from the South-East, who will rally round to vote for him, because of choosing a woman of impeccable character from the South-East zone, as a Presidential running mate.
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