Nigeria sends 422 official delegates to COP28, Minister reveals

Following questions about the large Nigerian presence at COP28, the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, has clarified that the government sponsored 422 delegates, out of a total 1,411 registered.

The rest, he explained, represent the private sector, civil society, and other non-government entities.

The minister made this known in a statement on Monday.

President Bola Tinubu’s attendance at the summit, which runs until December 12th, had sparked debate.

Critics, including opposition parties like PDP and LP, accused the government of being insensitive to economic hardships while sending such a large delegation.

“Nigeria’s representation,” Idris countered, “is very much in line with our status as Africa’s leading voice in climate action.”

According to him, 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.

“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.”

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”.