The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Temitope Ajayi, has debunked insinuation that Nigerian government bankrolled the attendance of 1,411 delegates at the ongoing UN climate summit in Dubai.
NatureNews notes that the number of delegates from Nigeria had generated controversies and social media criticisms from notable politicians including Presidential candidates of Labor Party, Mr. Peter Obi.
In a rebuttal titled “Separating The Facts From Fiction”, Mr Ajayi analysed the composition of the Nigerian delegates stressing that it was not all about federal government officials.
Said he: “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”.
According to him, 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.
Mr. Ajayi explained that 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.
He recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari and other African leaders had demanded fair deal and climate justice for Africa at previous UN Climate summits, adding that 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.
He disclosed that participating agencies of government includes the NNPC and its subsidiaries, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, NIMASA, and NDDC, adding that 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 said, stressing that “their participation is not for jamboree as it is being mischievously represented on social media”.
The SSA to the President who also emphasized that the number of attendees are registered against their countries of origin, said “delegates from all countries whether from government, private sector, media and civil society groups attend COP summits and conferences as parties”.
Related Posts
“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.
He confirmed that Nigeria’s delegates include UBA Chairman, Tony Elumelu, Chairman of BUA group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and other billionaires whose businesses are promoting sustainability and climate actions through their philanthropies, adding that “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”.
Mr. Ajayi also noted that 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, hence “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”.
Mr. Ajayi noted that “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 twon 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.
“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.”
