Federal Government Reveals Funding Only 422 Delegates To COP28 In UAE

The Federal Government clarified on Monday that it has funded only 422 delegates to the ongoing COP28 summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The clarification was made after the government was criticized for allegedly sending 1,411 Nigerian delegates to attend the event amid an economic hardship faced by the country.

Minister of Information and National Orientation of Nigeria, Mohammed Idris, said the overall Nigerian delegation to COP28 consists of participants who are government-sponsored (including federal and state governments) and non-government-sponsored (including private firms, non-governmental organizations, civil society organizations, media and academia, among others).

As far as government-funded delegates are concerned, the minister disclosed that there are 32 delegates from the National Council on Climate Change, 34 from the Federal Ministry of Environment, 167 delegates from All Ministries, 67 from the Presidency, nine from the Office of the Vice President, 40 from the National Assembly and 73 from the Federal parastatals/agencies.

The minister emphasized that President Bola Tinubu and other officials are in Dubai for "serious business" and not for "jamboree."

"President Tinubu has been unequivocal in his position that Africa, which is battling problems of poverty and security and struggling to provide education and healthcare to her people, cannot be told to abandon its primary source of income, which is mostly from extractive industries, without the West providing the funding and investment in alternative and clean energy sources," the minister said, as per Punch.

The minister noted that since Tinubu took office on May 29, he has been a voice for the country on global platforms, including the United Nations General Assembly, the G-20 and the ongoing COP28 summit.

The Federal Government began drawing criticisms after Tinubu failed to deliver a national statement at the COP28 summit, which opened on Nov. 30 and will run until Dec. 12. Reacting to this, Debo Olagunagba, national public secretary of the opposition party, People's Democratic Party, said Tinubu and his APC party had "no plan" for Nigerians.

"This government has no plan for anything and we are not surprised. They started this a long time ago. President Tinubu did it before and during the 2023 Presidential election. He's not interested in engaging with Nigerians," Olagunagba said.

Olagunagba recalled that Tinubu didn't even attend debates during elections earlier this year, as the president "is not concerned about Nigeria," adding that "what he [Tinubu] has done in Dubai is not far from what his known for."

Labour Party's Yunusa Tanko also slammed Tinubu for not giving a speech at the COP28 summit.