COP 28: Nigerian president, delegates are not in Dubai for jamboree – Presidency

Following the uproar on social media in the last 24 hours over the number of delegates from Nigeria attending the ongoing COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, the President has responded by saying that President Tinubu and delegates are not in Dubai for jamboree but for serious business.

This is contained in a press statement issued by Temitope Ajayi, a Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and publicity, and can be seen on the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

Ajayi explained that the ongoing summit which has over 97,000 delegates from more than 100 countries around the world comprises parties from the government, private sector, civil society, media and multilateral institutions.

The statement added that delegates from governments, businesses and civil societies are the parties to the convention who represent various shades of opinions and push for various mitigating actions, and as such participating nations are expected to have delegates from various sectors.

The Nigerian delegation comprises government officials from both the Federal and sub-national governments, business leaders, environmentalists, climate activists, journalists and agencies of government such as the NNPC and its subsidiaries, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, NIMASA, and NDDC, the statement revealed.

Ajayi emphasised that the participation of the delegates in the ongoing summit is very important and not a jamboree as represented on social media, adding that other countries have delegates numbering above a thousand, such as Brazil and China.

More Insights

The SSA further clarified that delegates from all countries whether from government, private sector, media and civil society groups attend COP summits and conferences as parties and the number of attendees are registered against their countries of origin.

Ajayi noted that the registration of attendees of the COP28 against their countries of origin did not imply that the delegates were sponsored or funded by the government.

The statement also pointed out that people registered to attend a conference does not mean everyone who registered is physically present.

The SSA also pointed to the fact that Nigeria being Africa’s biggest economy and a country with a huge extractive economy, delegates from Nigeria are expected to be more than any other country in Africa.

Among the delegates from Nigeria are UBA Chairman, Tony Elumelu, Abdul Samad Rabiu, Chairman of BUA group, and other billionaires whose businesses are promoting sustainability and climate actions through their philanthropies.

These businessmen and women and their staff who came with them to promote their own business interests are part of the 1,411 delegates from Nigeria.

Their trip to Dubai is not funded by the Federal Government

The 97,000 people attending the COP28 include world leaders and people occupying influential positions, such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, King Charles of the United Kingdom; Prime Minister of Netherlands, Mark Rutte; U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris; US Special Envoy on Climate Change; and former Secretary of State, John Kerry.

Others are President Bola Tinubu; United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres; World Bank President, Ajay Banga; International Monetary Fund President, Kristalina Georgieva; World Trade Organisation Director General, Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; Africa Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina, former US Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Al Gore and almost 100 Heads of States and Governments.