Nigerian Federal Government delegation of 1411 to Cop28 continues to raise a buzz on social media but the situation is more real than a buzz. Nigeria as a Country is actually going through a lot economically, it bites to see families unable to feed due to this hardship.
The Nigerian Federal Government sending 1411 people to Dubai for the COP28 climate summit, the 28th United Nations climate change conference is an eyesore. This Government has repeatedly shown it has no immediate concern for its citizens.
The large size and the cost of the delegation is a huge concern, The delegation is too large and wasteful, especially considering the economic and security challenges facing Nigeria. Some have compared the delegation to the smaller and more efficient ones from other countries, such as Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
The Nigerian delegation is the same as China and the former Presidential candidate of the Labour Party Peter Obi compared and analyzed the Nigerian Economy with that of China and also in size and per capita.
While China's budget for 2024 is about $4 trillion, about $2,860 per head; Nigeria's budget is about $33 billion, about $165 per head. China has a high human Development Index, HDI, with a ranking of 79 out of 191 countries measured, and Nigeria has a low HDI, with a ranking of 163 out of 191 countries measured. Nigeria has more people living in Multi-Dimensional poverty than China, despite China having seven times our population.
Most Importantly, the vast majority of those in the Nigerian delegation to COP28 are either non-relevant civil servants or relations, friends, and hangers-on of high government officials. Most of them hardly understand or have anything to do with climate change.
This huge contingent is out at public expense at a time when most Nigerians can hardly afford food and basic needs as a result of economic hardship. I pray earnestly that a day will come soon enough when we can focus on competing with China on productivity and the miracle of migrating the highest number of its citizens out of poverty over a relatively short time. As we have kept emphasizing, we must stop waste as a tradition of our Government and Nation. We urgently need to cut the cost of governance and invest in production.
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