Delegates at COP28: Analyst questions FG’s empathy for suffering people

Jideofor Adibe, a political science professor from the United States, has criticised the federal government for sending an excessively large delegation to the COP28 climate summit in Dubai, UAE.

During his appearance last night on Channels Television, Adibe expressed his scepticism regarding the president Bola Tinubu administration’s empathy for the plight of Nigerians, given that the government was funding the attendance of over a thousand delegates to the two-week summit.

The conference, which the president left for Dubai on November 29, 2023, was scheduled to conclude on December 12, 2023.

Many Nigerians took to social media to criticise the government, calling them “insensitive” to their economic hardships caused by the mid-2023 elimination of petrol subsidies, and the number of Nigerian delegates at the summit, which placed second only to China, has since become a contentious issue.

In light of the current economic climate, Adibe said that the Tinubu government should set an example by reducing spending.

Considering the current state of affairs in the country, he stated, “Amid the binge on loans and borrowings, and the increasing hardship and increasing emigration of Nigerians, these things happening, is not just that it raises the question about fidelity to cutting down the cost of governance, but also the question of whether there is even compassion for suffering Nigerians.” In other words, if there is compassion for what is happening in the country, then government officials should also be sensitive to the optics of the whole thing. That is, he added.

According to the analyst, the government covered all of the expenses for the officials’ flights to Dubai, as well as their daily “Estacodes of about $900” and accommodation charges for the two weeks of the summit.

According to the professor, the president’s delegation should consist of no more than three ministers and should be focused on certain tasks.

Sanctioning officials responsible for the huge delegation in Dubai would send a strong message that his administration hates waste, he advised the president.