Amidst widespread criticism over the hefty number of delegates accompanying President Bola Tinubu to the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, representing Ondo South District, defended the sizable contingent funded by the Nigerian government, emphasizing its necessity for bilateral deals signed by Tinubu.
Reports indicated that the Nigerian government sponsored 1,411 delegates for the summit initially.
However, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris clarified that only 422 out of the reported initial figures were government-funded.
In response to the public outcry on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Senator Ibrahim justified the substantial Nigerian delegation, asserting that it played a crucial role in securing multimillion-dollar agreements in Nigeria’s favour.
He argued that Tinubu’s credibility and the seriousness of Nigeria’s interests were at stake, necessitating a significant representation.
Expressing his opinion that funding over 400 individuals for such a conference was insufficient, Ibrahim suggested that it might even benefit Nigeria’s potential to host future meetings.
He highlighted the significance of Nigeria’s historical participation and its impact on knowledge-sharing at global events, particularly considering the nation’s struggles with environmental challenges stemming from pollution.
As part of the ongoing COP 28 summit, Ibrahim emphasized the urgency for African nations to establish climate change liability agreements with developed countries accountable for carbon emissions.
He stressed the imperative to address the environmental damage caused by industrial waste and emissions in Nigeria and across Africa.
“Funding over 400 people to a conference like this is too small. You may want to host the conference sometime in future,” he stated.
This is good as tens of thousands now fly there and increase what they are crying out to decease. Quite the comedy show as I sit at home burning coal, coke and wood tp keep warm quite happily.