The Presidency has clarified that not all 1,411 Nigerian delegates who accompanied President Bola Tinubu to the COP 28 summit in Dubai were sponsored by the federal government.

 Temitope Ajayi, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity disclosed this In an article titled ‘Nigeria at COP28: Separating facts from fiction’, published on Sunday, 3rd December 2023.

He said that the delegation, included business leaders, environmentalists, climate activists, and journalists.

The number of Nigerian delegates at COP28 sparked controversies and heated discussions on social media, with many questioning their sponsorship amidst the country’s challenges.

 However, Ajayi mentioned that the summit on climate change in Dubai, hosted over 97,000 delegates from 100+ countries.

He pointed out that the attendees, also comprised of  agencies like NNPC, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, NIMASA, NDDC, and youth organizations from regions heavily impacted by environmental issues.

Ajayi emphasized that Nigeria’s participation is crucial, dismissing claims of it being a mere ‘jamboree’ as depicted on social media.

Notably, he stated that not all delegates were government-sponsored or physically present despite registration.

Nigeria at COP28: Separating The Facts From Fiction

By Temitope Ajayi

The number of delegates from Nigeria attending the ongoing Climate Summit in Dubai otherwise called COP28 has generated a lot of controversies and strong social media conversations in the last 24 hours. It…

— Fed Min of Info & Nat’l Orien (@FMINONigeria) December 3, 2023

Ajayi said that business figures like Tony Elumelu and Abdul Samad Rabiu were also among the delegation.

However they were not funded by the federal Government.

Story: Ihuoma Ukeje

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