Nigeria at COP28: Separating the facts from fiction

By Temitope Ajayi

The number of delegates from Nigeria attending the ongoing Climate Summit in Dubai otherwise called COP28 has generated a lot of controversies and strong social media conversations in the last 24 hours. It is important to set the record straight and provide some clarity. To begin with, the Summit is tagged COP which means Convention of Parties. The ongoing Summit in Dubai with over 97,000 delegates from more than 100 countries around the world is the 28th in the series since the issue of climate change and action took preeminent stage in global affairs. COP27 took place at Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt last year.

When the world comes together to take actions on achieving a common goal and proffer collective solutions to a nagging global concern, there are parties involved from government, private sector, civil society, media and multilateral institutions. The people coming together to advance their different agenda and interests from governments, businesses and civil societies are the parties to the convention who represent various shades of opinions and pushing for various mitigating actions.

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

Their participation is very important. It is not for jamboree as it is being mischievously represented on social media.

It is important to state here 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. This does not mean that they are sponsored or funded by the government. It must be said also that the fact that people registered to attend a conference does not also mean everyone that registered are physically present.

As the biggest country in Africa, biggest economy and one with a bigger stake on climate action as a country with huge extractive economy, it is a no-brainer that delegates from Nigeria will 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.

United Nations Climate summit, by its very nature, commands attendance of big names from across the world – statesmen and women, politicians, lawmakers, corporate titans, journalists and activists, etc who promote big global agenda. So, people attend the summit for many reasons. And because climate issue is the biggest global issue of the moment, it is not surprising that over 97,000 people including Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India, King Charles of 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, 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 converged on Dubai for COP28. It is the first of its kind in the history of the summit because of the importance of climate change to global well-being.

After the opening and national statements by Heads of States which began from November 30 when the summit opened and up until Saturday December 2, 2023, the real work of COP28 which are the technical sessions and negotiations, financing, etc will begin from Monday, December 4 till December 12 where agreements will be reached on many proposals for consideration and ratification by the parties.

Those with sufficient understanding and knowledge on climate matters know that issues around the subject have. layers and multiplicity of factors that require experts from various fields. There are lined-up technical sessions on financing climate actions at sub-national levels, regions and local governments. State Governors from Nigeria such as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, Umo Eno of Akwa-Ibom have been really busy with their officials at COP28, making presentations, speaking at panel sessions and pitching some of their sustainability projects to development partners and investors.

Multifaceted stakeholders from different countries including Nigeria are on ground in Dubai because they don’t want decisions that will affect them to be taken without pushing their own agenda. It is the reason delegates from China and Brazil are over 3000 respectively. China is one of the world biggest polluters and Brazil is at the centre of global climate debate with her Amazon rainforest. These two countries know important decisions that will affect them will be taken and they have to move everything to be fully on ground and ensure they are fully represented by their best brains at every level of discussion and negotiation.

Like former President Muhammadu Buhari and other African leaders who demanded fair deal and climate justice for Africa at previous UN Climate summits, President Tinubu is leading the charge at COP28 on behalf of Nigeria and the rest of the continent, demanding from the West that any climate decision and action must be fair and just to Africa and Nigeria in particular, especially the debate around energy transition. President Tinubu has been unequivocal in his position that Africa that is battling problems of poverty, security and struggling to provide education and healthcare to her people can not be told to abandon its major source of income which is mostly from extractive industries without the West providing the funding and investment in alternative and clean energy sources. President Tinubu and other officials on the Federal government delegation are in Dubai for serious business not jamboree. Our President has been very busy representing our country well. Since Thursday morning when he arrived Dubai, President Tinubu has spent not less than 18hours daily in attending very important sessions, pushing our national agenda whilst holding bilateral and business meetings on the sidelines.

-Ajayi is Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity

Dada Olusegun on X (Fomerly called twitter)

Lol.

So what is Seyi Tinubu's role at the event?

The Nigerian sponsored delegates should not have been more than 50. Especially at this time when the FG is imposing draconian policies & actions that further impoverish the masses & they keep claiming no money but they keep spending recklessly.

One of the ways which is the appointment of special advisers & assistants. What do you need a special adviser for when you already have a minister who can effectively perform the same function?

A minister can execute & advise, no need to duplicate the duties.

Hmmmmm, I read it all but can't find the numbers of delegates sponsored by the FG. Words just plenty with no substance

Lol.
Toke makinwa
Yinka Tinubu
Seyi Tinubu
See the climate change experts.
Apc no even rate their own supporters 😎

Who told you Nigerian Government sponsored them?!


They got their invitation themselves about 1000 different individual from all works of life


Majority of GenZ youth online are just ignorant

UN Conference and other international conferences are open to all

People apply to boost their travel history and CV


One mumu even said a whole Gilbert Chagoury got sponsored by FG

.

Justice For Reno Omokri
Why Was He Not Invited For COP28 ?

Most of those spreading the 1400 figure including the defeated Peter Obi are well aware that FG did not sponsor all of them. They know a lot of state governments, private companies, civil society organizations, media houses etc all got invited and sent in delegates they sponsored.

But it’s good politics to lump everyone together and accuse Tinubu of flying them to Dubai for COP28. Obidients thrive on false news, lies and propaganda so no one is surprised.

Allow IPOBidients to believe whatever they want to believe meanwhile Israel are in search of their two females soldiers that Hammas sold to IPOB in East


You bette start packing your belongings

You knw Israel don't have time ooo 😂😂🤣😀

See them.

Crawling out of thier cesspits to tribalise the matter & defend nonsense.

From the list of delegates, at a glance, at least 400 were FG sponsored.

As for the others, is it from the open market they will get thier FX? FX to go & do jamboree.

What is evident is that this COP28 and all COPs are usually a global jamboree of some sorts, despite the serious purpose for which it came about.

Everyone goes there to feel important.

Many staff of global companies will not let us who are not political employees rest with all the pictures they will flood LinkedIn with, showing as as they pose for pictures with the high and mighty, and networking their way to that next career position ahead of those who are truly busy achieving silent results more than the noisy ones.

Rather than just get the job done, many have turned themselves to sociopolitical advocates, hopping from one global convention to another.

Guess what? That works super great for their career moves, driving all else without strength of character to want to duplicate the very pattern they have seen others achieve unmerited success.

Get ready for the Mecca type of delegates at COP29, as many more join the bandwagon.

It is certainly no surprise that Nigeria has the highest African contingent. Who else should it have been?

Dbull on this one!


Heard toke makinwa followed tinubu

There is no climate change in Nigeria or Africa. What’s in Nigeria is abject poverty. Love the Most High and love your neighbours in respective of his or her tribe.

ivandragon:
Lol.

So what is Seyi Tinubu's role at the event?

The Nigerian sponsored delegates should not have been more than 50. Especially at this time when the FG is imposing draconian policies & actions that further impoverish the masses & they keep claiming no money but they keep spending recklessly.

One of the ways which is the appointment of special advisers & assistants. What do you need a special adviser for when you already have a minister who can effectively perform the same function?

A minister can execute & advise, no need to duplicate the duties.

Even Toke Mekinwa

The racketeering whey dey take this COP28 do, just for some people to enter Dubai is hilarious, some dey form "self-sponsored delegate" but on government list!

The point is with the way Nigerian economy is , Nigerian had no business sponsoring anyone to that convention.

Millions of Nigerians are under severe stress, and I have not seen the government holding conventions to address the severe hardship their economic policies have caused


Nigeria is not manufacturing much and has zero contribution to factors said to be causing climate change compared to China, US and other industrialized nations.

Climate change is the least of Nigeria’s problems right now, and this jamboree to Dubai is not only misplaced priority but a wicked thing to do at this time

What is toke makinwa aka item 7 doing there

For a dying economy, taking over 1000 persons to a summit which we have less stake in, as in contribution to climate change and global warming is unnecessary and all men of goodwill should condemn it

LasLas we go hear how many millions were spent on prostitutes and drugs

H

Oya simply tell us how many people were sponsored..

All this shalaye without stating how many people FG sent to the conference. Some are sponsored by States and some are sponsored by groups and private entities, but he failed to provide the key piece of information, which is how many did FG sponsor

I know Nigerians invest and holiday in Dubai and many officials and big men have property and business interests there, so they used this as opportunity to go look after their businesses or check on their holiday homes. If the conference were held in South Korea, I doubt more than 200 Nigerians would have showed their face.

Akwamkpuruamu:
For a dying economy, taking over 1000 persons to a summit which we have less stake in, as in contribution to climate change and global warming is unnecessary and all men of goodwill should condemn it

How does it concern the Nigerian Government if private individual Nigerians want to attend a global summit?

DamnnNiggarr:
Even Toke Mekinwa

Well, I guess that person is someone's 'night cover'.

There are numerous media personalities who specialise in reporting issues on climate change, but I guess they don't have the necessary 'tools for the trade'.

Reading...

Of what use are events like this to dead Nigerian economy

Nonsense .... Wetin carry Seyi Tinubu to that place.
Climate change ke

Imagine Nigeria having almost 1,500 people as delegate in a single outside country event when it's not world cup