TheCable

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has been praised by the Presidency for winning the Rockerfeller Foundation Leadership award.

Okonjo-Iweala was named recipient of the award alongside distinguished personalities such as Paul Polman, chief executive officer of Unilever; and Simao Jatene, the governor of the State of Para, Brazil.

According to the organizers of the award, the minister was honoured for her uncommon courage and capacity to deliver on the economy and leadership, in a very difficult environment.

Reacting to this, the Federal Executive Council (FEC)  congratulated her at its weekly meeting in Abuja.

“Council, led by Mr President, congratulated the CME (Coordinating Minister of the Economy) for the leadership award that she received from the Rockefeller Foundation,” Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku, told State House correspondents.

“We believe that these continued laurels being won by Nigerians, including high level government officials, is clear indication that this country has the talents required to transform and to place our country on a higher pedestal of economic growth and prosperity. The president and all of us congratulated her, and urged her to see this opportunity to do even better work for this country.”

Distinguished personalities, such as Bill Clinton; former president of the United States; Richard Branson, CEO and founder of the Virgin Group; late South Africa President, Nelson Mandela; and former United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Anan have previously won the award.

Apart from the minister, the only other Nigerian who to have received the award is Bisi Fayemi,  wife of Ekiti State governor.