Why Nigeria went to COP28 with 1,411 delegates – Presidency

• Nigeria has the third-highest number of delegates at COP28
• The delegates number has been greeted by uproar and reproach as Nigerians

The Nigerian government has cleared the air on the huge amount of delegates that the country has at the ongoing Climate Summit, COP28, in Dubai.

Nigeria has the third-highest number of delegates at COP28

The delegates number has been greeted by uproar and reproach as Nigerians, especially on social media, lambasted the government over the number of entourage and representatives amid widespread hardship and galloping inflation in the country.

Reacting to the the controversies surrounding the 1,411 Nigerian delegates, Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, disclosed that the government did not fund the trip of all delegates.

In a statement titled ‘Nigeria at COP28: Separating the facts from fiction,’ the presidential aide stated that among the delegates are stakeholders whose work revolves around the crux of the summit and had to be there.

He said the delegates also include civil society actors, journalists, businesspersons, climate activists, and others who have different roles to play at the conference.

“In Nigeria, like so many other countries, interested parties comprising government officials from both federal and sub-national governments, environmentalists, climate activists, business leaders, journalists and agencies of government such as the NNPC and its subsidiaries, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, NIMASA, and the NDDC are present in Dubai.

“Many youth organisations from Nigeria, especially from the Northern and Niger-Delta regions, whose lives and livelihoods are most impacted by desert encroachment and hydrocarbon activities, are also represented. The President of Ijaw Youth Council, Jonathan Lokpobiri, leads a pan-Ijaw delegation of more than 15 people who registered as parties from Nigeria. Among delegates from Nigeria are also over 20 journalists from various media houses,” he wrote.

However, the presidential aide did not state the exact number of delegates being funded by the government among the 1,411 delegates.