By Abdullahi Lukman
Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has condemned the federal government for deploying a 749-member delegation to the COP30 climate summit.
He calls it a costly misplacement of priorities amid widespread poverty in Nigeria.
Obi shared his reaction Saturday on his verified X account in a post titled “In Delegations, Nigeria competes well.”
The frontline politician noted that Nigeria’s delegation is nearly as large as China’s 789 representatives, despite significant disparities in economic strength and human development.
He stressed that while Nigeria should maintain a presence in global climate discussions, the size of the delegation is unjustifiable given that an estimated 150 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty and face daily challenges such as food insecurity, poor healthcare, and limited access to basic services.
Comparing the two countries, Obi pointed out that China’s GDP of $18.74 trillion dwarfs Nigeria’s slightly above $200 billion, with GDP per capita also vastly higher.
He added that Nigeria’s life expectancy remains at 54 years, far below China’s 79, and that 63 percent of Nigerians face multidimensional poverty compared with 3.9 percent of China’s population.
Obi argued that the resources used to fund such a large delegation would be better invested in healthcare, education, and social services.
He urged leaders to demonstrate responsible governance and ensure Nigeria’s global engagements reflect true commitment to citizens’ welfare, concluding that “a New Nigeria is possible.”
