The Nigerian government has clarified that it only funded the trip of 422 delegates to the Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). The delegation was drawn from various ministries, agencies, and the National Assembly.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, gave a breakdown of the delegates, which included government-sponsored and non-government-sponsored participants from private companies, NGOs, CSOs, media, academia, and others.
Idris gave a breakdown of the delegates to include 32 from the National Council on Climate Change; 34 from Federal Ministry of Environment; all other ministries – 167; Presidency – 67; Office of the Vice President – nine; National Assembly – 40; and Federal Parastatals/Agencies – 73.
During the COP28 convention, the Nigerian delegation was made up of both government-sponsored (federal and state governments) and non-government-sponsored participants (from private companies, NGOs, CSOs, media, academia, etc.). The delegation included government officials, representatives from the private sector, civil society, the voluntary sector, state governments, media, multilateral institutions, representatives of marginalised communities, and many others.
Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, who represents Ondo South at the National Assembly, expressed his concern that the 422 persons funded by the federal government to attend the Summit in Dubai was too small.
He made this statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday.
He said, “Funding (over) 400 people for a conference like this is too small, because you may want to host the conference sometime in the future.”
During his speech at the ongoing COP 28 in Dubai, Senator Ibrahim emphasized the need for African countries to sign climate change liability agreements with developed countries responsible for carbon emissions on the continent. He argued that industrial waste and emissions in Nigeria and Africa have caused significant damage, and developed countries must compensate Africa for carbon emissions on the continent.
The senator disagreed with advanced nations that only engage in climate change discourse and evade issues that involve signing liability agreements. He stressed that if developed countries paid compensation to African countries for the impact of climate change on the continent, it would help Africa offset its huge foreign debt.
Ibrahim also noted that combustion emissions from industrial toxic wastes required no visa to cross international borders and settle on the continent of Africa. He further stated that the number of delegates at the summit has an influence on knowledge sharing, and Nigeria is suffering from the impact of environmental pollution.
The senator praised President Bola Tinubu for signing many multimillion-dollar bilateral deals at the summit in Nigeria’s interest. He also emphasized that the international community wouldn’t take Tinubu seriously if he were in Dubai with a lean delegation. Finally, he called for developed countries to sign liability agreements with African countries on climate change.
Ibrahim said, “We don’t produce cars in Africa, but the whole world uses cars. These cars are produced in Germany, America, Russia, China, and India.
“Imagine the number of cars in the world and the resultant consequences of burning fossil fuel are the climatic disasters we are faced with in Africa.
“Many people on the continent of Africa are currently facing unexplainable medical issues that defy treatments as a result of inhaling carbon dioxide rather than oxygen.
“It is a proven fact that emissions from developed countries do not need to visit Nigeria’s embassy or any African countries’ embassies before gaining entry into the continent.
”It is imperative and a matter of urgency for developed countries to sign liability agreements with African countries that bear the brunts of their activities to cushion the effects economically.”
