By Philip Shimnom Clement
Reactions have continued to trail the huge number of delegates representing Nigeria at the ongoing climate change summit (COP28) in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.
Although Nigeria has 1,411 delegates at the conference, the Federal Government had put the number of those it sponsored at 422.
The presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party in this year’s elections, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively as well as civil society organizations had flayed the huge delegation of Nigeria at the summit, describing it as a jamboree and a waste of scarce resources.
The PDP had challenged the government to name the delegates, urged the National Assembly to probe the delegation and asked Tinubu to be ready to refund the amounts spent on delegates who have no important role at the conference.
Among the delegates, according to the list of registered Nigerian participants at the COP28 Conference, are President Tinubu’s son, Seyi; chefs, luggage officers, stewards among other individuals, including over 50 personal assistants.
The delegation also comprises over 30 ministers and heads of government agencies, including the Ministers of Environment, Water Resources, Foreign Affairs, Finance, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Aviation, Information, Lakpobiri, Petroleum, Mineral Resources, Attorney-General, Gas Development, Abubakar Kyari, Agriculture, Power, Youth and Sport, State for Environment, Education, among others.
Also on the list are an actress and on-air personality, Toke Makinwa, IBD Dende, and two senior special assistants to the Lagos State governor (state lotteries & corporate finance/investments), a member representing Lagos Island II in the Lagos State House of Assembly and a staff of PZ Cussons.
The UN said Nigeria has the third-largest delegation to the event, behind only China and Brazil.
Also on the list are 138 delegates from the State House has 138, 54 from the National Council on Climate Change, 53 from the Ministry Environment, 36 from the National Assembly, 28 from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd.