(BREAKING)COP28 Summit: FG bows to pressure, reveals total number of delegates sponsored to Dubai

(BREAKING)COP28 Summit: FG bows to pressure, reveals total number of delegates sponsored to Dubai

The Federal Government has sponsored 422 people to attend the ongoing COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mohammed Idris, Minister of Information and National Orientation.

Following a dispute over 1,411 Nigerian registered delegates at the summit, the minister made this public in a statement on Monday.

President Bola Tinubu left Abuja for Dubai on November 29, 2023, for the summit, which is scheduled to end on December 12, 2023.

The number of Nigerian representatives at the summit, which placed second only to China, has subsequently sparked controversy, with many Nigerians on social media criticizing the government for being “insensitive” to their economic woes caused by the withdrawal of petrol subsidies in mid-2023.

Providing “clarity” on the controversy, the minister 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 include 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 statement partly read.

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“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.”

‘Tinubu In Dubai For Serious Business’
The minister said 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”.