By Ayodele Oni
Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) Peter Obi has joined other Nigerians to condemn the large contingent that accompanied President Bola Tinubu to the 2023 UN Climate Conference (COP28 in Dubai, United Arabs Emirate describing it as a waste.
A whopping 1411 people travelled with President Tinubu to the ongoing 2023 UN Climate Change Conference. Nigeria’s delegation was the largest in Africa, and third in the World.
Obi noted that the Nigeria’s huge contingent was out at public expense at a time when most Nigerians can hardly afford food and basic needs as a result of economic hardship. Outrage has since greeted the large delegation.
But in reaction to the outrage, the Presidency explained that the number of people who went on the ticket of the Federal Government is small.
In a statement by Presidential Aide, Dada Olusegun, the Presidency explained that even though the 1411 people are under the collective name of Nigeria, most of that number, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu, and some from NGOs and other bodies, were invited and sponsored by the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union and Bodies. Their bills were not picked by the Nigerian Government.
The statement reads in part: “The United Nations sent a request to several of these bodies to send a list of their delegates, with most of them to be sponsored by the World Bank, European Union and others.
“The request was, also, extended to several private sector members, including Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Tony Elumelu and many others.
“The list, even before now, has always been made up of a tiny fraction of Nigerian Government officials, as many other interests have to be represented as requested by the organizers.
“Nigeria’s delegation list is unified, including both Government and non- Government representatives. This means every name under Nigeria is categorized as ‘Nigeria’s Delegation’ whether from a Ministry, NGO, Private Sector, Parastatals, or part of the President’s delegation.
“Individuals of the same Nationality (Nigeria), can be sponsored by foreign organizations as NGOs will also take on their expenses.”
But Obi, criticizing the large number of people under Nigeria, pointed out that Nigeria must stop waste as a tradition of our government and nation, stressing that we urgently need to cut the cost of governance and invest in production.
In a post on his official X account, Mr Peter Obi congratulated the President Tinubu-led Nigeria government for competing favourably with China on the number of delegates at Conference.
However, according to him, it was worrisome that Nigeria that which should be competing with China in productivity, chose instead to compete in spending on frivolities.
In his words; “A New Nigeria is possible. We only need to do the reasonable and the necessary.
“In a twist of sad irony, let me congratulate the giant of Africa, Nigeria, for matching the great China, with the same number of contingents at the ongoing COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
“Nigeria’s contingent to COP28 totalled 1411, is the same number as the Chinese contingents.
“While China’s budget for 2024 is about $4 trillion, about $2,860 per head; Nigeria’s budget is about $33 billion, about $165 per head.
“China has a high Human Development Index, HDI, with a ranking of 79 out of 191 countries measured, and Nigeria has a low HDI, with a ranking of 163 out of 191 countries measured.
“Nigeria has more people living in ‘Multi-Dimensional’ poverty than China, despite China having seven times our population.
“Most importantly, the vast majority of those in the Nigerian delegation to COP28 are either non relevant civil servants or relations, friends and hangers-on of high government officials.
“Most of them hardly understand or have anything to do with Climate Change.
“I pray earnestly that a day will come soon enough when we can focus on competing with China on productivity and the miracle of migrating the highest number of its citizens out of poverty over a relatively short time.
“We need to de-emphasize unnecessary ceremony and showmanship as a mode of government behaviour. We need to tie spending to necessity and national Priority.”
