World Trade Organization chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was reappointed Friday for a second term, in the shadow of the coming return of Donald Trump and his disdain for international trade rules.

Okonjo-Iweala, the first woman and the first African to head the WTO, was the only candidate in the race, and had been all but assured a second term.

The organisation’s 166 members “today agreed to give incumbent Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala a second term as director-general,” the WTO said in a statement.

But with Okonjo-Iweala the only candidate, African countries called for the process to be speeded up, officially to facilitate preparations for the WTO’s next big ministerial conference, set to be held in Cameroon in 2026.

The unstated objective is to “accelerate the process, because they did not want Trump’s team to come in and veto her as they did four years ago”, said Keith Rockwell, a senior research fellow at the Hinrich Foundation.

The common practice of appointing directors-general by consensus made it possible in 2020 for Trump to block Okonjo-Iweala’s appointment for months, forcing her to wait to take the reins until after President Joe Biden entered the White House in early 2021.

Northern Senators convened a closed door meeting on Thursday, lasting over two hours, following the Senate’s passage of the contentious Tax Reform Bills for a second reading.

The closed-door session, held in Room 301 of the National Assembly Complex, was announced during the day’s plenary, igniting speculation about the agenda.

However, Senator Abdulaziz Yar’Adua, Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, refrained from divulging the details of their deliberations.

The Tax Reform Bills, which include significant changes to Nigeria’s fiscal landscape, have drawn considerable attention. Earlier in the day, the Senate instructed its Committee on Finance to organize a public hearing involving state governors, the Governors Forum, traditional rulers, and other key stakeholders. The committee is expected to present its findings and recommendations within six weeks.

During plenary, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) spearheaded discussions on the bills, emphasizing their importance for modernizing the nation’s tax framework. The four bills include:

The Nigeria Tax Bill 2024 – designed to establish a comprehensive fiscal framework for taxation in the country.

The Tax Administration Bill – aimed at providing a unified legal structure for all taxes in Nigeria while minimizing disputes and ambiguities.
The Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill – which seeks to repeal the Federal Inland Revenue Service Act and establish the Nigeria Revenue Service for improved efficiency in tax collection.
The Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill – intended to create a tax tribunal and a tax ombudsman to resolve disputes and enhance accountability in revenue management.

The Senate described the reform bills as critical to ensuring sustainable revenue generation and streamlining tax administration. Lawmakers highlighted the need for robust engagement with stakeholders to address potential concerns and ensure a fair and inclusive tax system.

However, the Northern Senators’ meeting has raised questions about whether regional interests or specific provisions within the bills influenced the closed-door discussions. The region’s lawmakers have previously expressed concerns about the disproportionate fiscal burdens placed on states with lower internally generated revenues, often reliant on federal allocations.

Observers are keenly watching for outcomes from the public hearing and the Senate Finance Committee’s report, as the Tax Reform Bills could significantly reshape Nigeria’s fiscal policies and their impact on citizens and businesses.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has announced a significant update to its redeployment policy for married female corps members. Going forward, changing one’s maiden name to the spouse’s name will no longer be a requirement for concessional deployment or relocation.

This was disclosed in a circular signed by the NYSC Director of Corps Mobilization, Abubakar Mohammed. The document, dated November 25, 2024, was addressed to state coordinators, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) coordinators, and other relevant officials.

Details of the New Policy
The circular, titled “Review of Criteria for Concessional Deployment/Relocation for Married Female Corps Members”, outlined the approved revisions to redeployment criteria.

Key directive:

Married female corps members seeking relocation will no longer need to adopt their spouse’s surname to qualify for redeployment.
The memo further emphasized that all other existing requirements for redeployment remain unchanged and must be adhered to.

Ensuring Compliance and Monitoring
The NYSC has mandated state and FCT coordinators to strictly comply with this updated directive. Directors in area offices have also been tasked with monitoring the policy’s implementation to ensure consistency nationwide.