Nigerian govt funded 422 delegates to COP28

The Nigerian authorities has introduced that solely 422 of the overall 1,411 Nigerian delegates on the ongoing COP28 had been funded by the federal government.

The Minister of Info, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in a press release on Monday night amidst considerations by Nigerians concerning the giant variety of the nation’s delegates on the local weather change convention in Dubai.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the controversy surrounding the Nigerian delegates listing.

A evaluate of the printed listing ranked Nigeria joint third behind the UAE and Brazil amongst all of the nations current at COP28.
Out of the overall 1,411 Nigerian delegates, 821 have the “Overflow” badges, whereas 590 had been permitted to hold the “Social gathering” badge.

Social gathering badges are worn by negotiators and delegations of Nations (Events) and the European Union which have ratified the conference and are totally a part of the negotiation procedures. The Overflow badges are for different delegates similar to civil society activists, media and enterprise individuals.

Nonetheless, Mr Idris has now confirmed that not all of the Social gathering delegates had been government-funded.

He mentioned the 422 government-funded delegates had been from seven broad establishments together with the Presidency which has 67 delegates.

Learn the complete assertion by Mr Idris under.

Press Assertion
RE: NIGERIA AT COP-28

The Federal Authorities has famous with curiosity the general public dialog on the variety of delegates from Nigeria attending the continued Local weather Summit in Dubai, in any other case known as COP-28, and the necessity to present readability in step with a standing pledge to conduct itself with transparency and accessibility relating to public data.

The Conference of Events (COP) to the United Nations Framework Conference on Local weather Change (UNFCCC) is the world’s pre-eminent Local weather Change Convention, attended this 12 months (COP-28) by greater than 70,000 contributors and delegates from over 100 nations. Nigeria’s illustration may be very a lot in step with our standing as Africa’s main Sovereign voice and participant in local weather motion.

Events to this Conference from Nigeria embody authorities officers, representatives from the personal sector, civil society, the voluntary sector, state governments, media, multilateral establishments, representatives of marginalised communities, and plenty of others.

READ ALSO: Why Nigeria has 1,411 delegates at COP28 – Tinubu’s Aide

It’s crucial to level out that the general Nigerian delegation to COP-28 contains Authorities-sponsored (Federal and State Governments) and non-government-sponsored contributors (from Non-public Firms, NGOs, CSOs, Media, academia, and so forth).

The Federal Authorities-funded delegation is made up of a complete of 422 individuals, as follows:

1. Nationwide Council on Local weather Change = 32
2. Federal Ministry of Surroundings = 34
3. All Ministries = 167
4. Presidency = 67
5. Workplace of the Vice President = 9
6. Nationwide Meeting = 40
7. Federal Parastatals/Businesses = 73

As the largest economic system and most populous nation in Africa, with a considerable extractive economic system and intensive vulnerability to local weather change, Nigeria has a big stake in local weather motion, and our lively and sturdy participation at COP is due to this fact not unwarranted.

COP-28 presents an array of funding and partnership alternatives for the assorted sectors affected by local weather change, and Nigeria is already benefiting from its ongoing participation, as demonstrated by the next:

1. Nigeria and Germany signed an accelerated efficiency settlement to expedite the implementation of the Presidential Energy Initiative (PPI) to enhance Nigeria’s electrical energy provide. The settlement was signed by Mr. Kenny Anuwe, the Managing Director and CEO of FGN Energy Firm, and Ms. Nadja Haakansson, Siemens Power’s Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Africa, at a ceremony witnessed by President Tinubu and Chancellor Scholz.

2. President Tinubu hosted a high-level assembly with stakeholders and traders on the Nigeria Carbon Market and the Electrical Buses Rollout Programme on the margins of the COP28 local weather summit.

a. The President unveiled the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Plan, co-chaired by the Government Chairman of the Federal Inland Income Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, and the Director-Basic of the Nationwide Council on Local weather Change (NCCC), Dr. Dahiru Salisu.

b. The Electrical Buses program is barely step one in a collection of progressive, clear, trendy, and sustainable initiatives throughout numerous sectors, all geared toward concurrently addressing local weather change-related challenges, decreasing carbon footprint, modernizing infrastructure programs, and positioning Nigeria as a sexy vacation spot for world investments.

3. Nigeria stands to profit from the Loss and Injury Fund established throughout COP-27 in Egypt and formally operationalized on the opening plenary of COP-28 in Dubai. The Fund will present substantial non-debt financing to assist nations most affected by the impression of local weather change. A whole lot of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} have already been pledged as contributions to the Fund.

4. The President additionally met the President of UAE to concretize engagements between the 2 nations. That is other than the bilateral talks held with a number of nations and multilateral companions.

It ought to be highlighted that, over time, Nigeria has firmly demonstrated its local weather motion credentials by being the primary African nation to launch its Power Transition Plan, the primary African nation to subject a Sovereign Inexperienced Bond, and one of many first to move nationwide local weather change laws.

President Tinubu has been unequivocal in his place that Africa, which is battling issues of poverty and safety and struggling to supply schooling and healthcare to her individuals, can’t be advised to desert its main supply of earnings, which is generally from extractive industries, with out the West offering the funding and funding in different and clear power sources.

Since assuming workplace, President Tinubu has been a vocal champion for the African continent on the worldwide stage, whether or not on the United Nations Basic Meeting (UNGA), the G20, or the continued COP-28. The President has been supported by an equally lively and engaged Nigerian delegation at these varied fora.

It’s, due to this fact, important to maintain setting the information straight whereas assuring Nigerians that President Tinubu and different officers on the Federal authorities delegation are in Dubai for critical enterprise, not a jamboree.

Mohammed Idris
Honourable Minister of Info and Nationwide Orientation
4th December 2023