President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is facing criticism for alleged insensitivity to Nigeria’s current challenges as he purportedly traveled with over 1,400 delegates to the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai. Tinubu’s departure to Dubai followed his presentation of the 2024 budget to the national assembly on November 29, 2023.
The UN had announced that this year’s Conference of the Parties would take place from November 30 to December 12 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and released a list of Nigerian participants, including individuals from the president’s office, private NGOs, and more.
The list revealed that at least 1,411 delegates attended from Nigeria, with 589 directly accompanying the president, including cabinet ministers, aides, and civil servants. Notably, the president’s son, Seyi Tinubu, without an official designation, was also present at the conference.
The inclusion of media organizations and NGOs raised funding concerns, particularly when some are government employees. The UN disclosed that Nigeria’s delegation ranked third in size, surpassing the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.
Nigeria is not presenting major policy proposals at the conference, prompting skepticism about the necessity of such a large delegation. Tinubu, in 2022, expressed reluctance to cooperate with Western emission policies due to Nigeria’s underdevelopment.
Social media users criticized the delegation’s size, questioning the allocation of resources, particularly for individuals like Toke Makinwa. Concerns were raised about the financial burden on Nigeria, already grappling with subsidy removal, and skepticism about the effectiveness of such a large delegation.
Source:
Intel Region
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