Amidst the furore in the media space about an allegedly overbloated delegation comprising 1,411 officials funded by government to attend the ongoing 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, the Federal Government has come out to say it funded only 422 persons to the event.
The Federal Government further asserted that the number (442) was appropriate, given Nigeria’s status in the comity of nations and its particular interest in nature conservation.
Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation, said Monday that the purported number of 1,441 delegates being bandied in the media as having been sponsored by government to the event was bogus, unfounded and mischievous.
The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, more commonly referred to as COP28, is the 28th edition of the UN conference being held from 30 November until 12 December 2023 at Expo City, Dubai.
President Bola Tinubu had on November 29, 2023, departed Abuja for Dubai for the summit.
A furore was then sparked surrounding claims of the number of Nigerian delegates at the summit which was purportedly at par with that of China, with many Nigerians on social media tongue-lashing the Federal Government for being “insensitive” to their economic sufferings occasioned by the removal of petrol subsidy in mid-2023.
Providing “clarity” on the matter, Idris said, “Nigeria’s representation is very much in line with our status as Africa’s leading sovereign voice and player in climate action”.
The government said the Nigerian delegation includes government officials, representatives from the private sector, civil society, the voluntary sector, state governments, media, multilateral institutions, representatives of marginalised communities, and many others.
“It is imperative to point out that the overall Nigerian delegation to COP-28 comprises government-sponsored (Federal and State Governments) and non-government-sponsored participants (from private companies, NGOs, CSOs, media, academia, etc),” the minister said.
“The Federal Government-funded delegation is made up of a total of 422 persons, as follows:
“National Council on Climate Change = 32; Federal Ministry of Environment = 34; All Ministries = 167; Presidency = 67; Office of the Vice President = 9; National Assembly = 40; Federal Parastatals/Agencies = 73,” he said.
Idris further said that Nigeria’s “active and robust participation at COP” was not “unwarranted” as the biggest economy and most populous country in Africa.
He assured Nigerians that the President and other officials on the government’s delegation were in Dubai for “serious business, not a jamboree”.
