Tinubu in Dubai for serious business, not jamboreein in reaction to significant opposition.

The presidency formally cleared the air yesterday, stating that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was in Dubai for serious work and not on a jamboree, in response to the strong pushback against the numerous Nigerian officials attending the ongoing Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
In addition to providing explanation, Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris revealed that only 422 representatives from ministries, agencies, and the National Assembly received funding for their trip, in a statement headlined “Re: Nigeria at COP-28.”
The National Assembly had forty delegates, the Presidency had 67, the National Council on Climate Change had 32, the Federal Ministry of Environment had 34, all other ministries had 167, and federal parastatals and agencies had 73. This was Idris’ breakdown of the delegates.
The minister made note of the fact that the Nigerian delegation at COP28 was made up of participants who were sponsored by the federal and state governments as well as by private businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations (CSOs), the media, academia, and other non-governmental organizations.
He stated that Nigerian government leaders, business executives, members of civil society, volunteers, state governments, journalists, international organizations, members of marginalized communities, and many more were parties to the COP28 convention.
As the largest and most populous nation in Africa, with a sizable extractive economy and widespread climate change vulnerability, the minister went on to defend the sizeable federal government delegation, emphasizing that “Nigeria has a significant stake in climate action, and our active and robust participation at COP is, therefore, not unwarranted.”
Idris also mentioned the benefits of the COP28 conference for Nigeria, such as the signing of an accelerated energy performance agreement between the two countries, President Bola Tinubu’s unveiling of the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Plan, and the president’s hosting of investors and stakeholders for the Nigeria Carbon Market and Electric Buses Rollout Program.
“The federal government has noted with interest the public conversation on the number of Nigerian delegates attending the ongoing Climate Summit in Dubai, otherwise known as COP28,” the minister went on to say. “We need to provide clarity in line with a standing pledge to conduct itself with transparency and accessibility regarding public information.”This year (COP28), approximately 70,000 participants and delegates from over 100 nations will be in attendance at the Convention of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the world’s premier climate change conference.
“Representation of Nigeria is very much in line with our status as the foremost sovereign voice and participant in climate action in Africa.”Nigerian government representatives, business executives, volunteers, members of civil society, state governments, media outlets, representatives of underprivileged groups, multilateral organizations, and numerous more are parties to this convention.It is crucial to emphasize that the Nigerian delegation at COP28 is made up of both government-sponsored (federal and state governments) and non-government-sponsored (private firms, NGOs, CSOs, media, academics, etc.) participants.The 422 members of the federal government-funded delegation are as follows: National Assembly: 40; Federal Ministry of Environment: 34; All Ministries: 167; Presidency: 67; Office of the Vice President: 9; National Council on Climate Change: 32; National Assembly: 40; and federal parastatals/agencies: 73.
The minister claims that for the several sectors impacted by climate change, COP28 offers a wide range of investment and cooperation options.
Nigeria and Germany inked an expedited performance agreement to speed the implementation of the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) to improve Nigeria’s energy supply, he emphasized, showing that Nigeria was already benefiting from its participation.At a ceremony attended by President Tinubu and Chancellor Scholz, Ms. Nadja Haakansson, Senior Vice President and Managing Director for Africa at Siemens Energy, and Mr. Kenny Anuwe, Managing Director and CEO of FGN Power Company, signed the agreement.
In conjunction with the COP28 climate summit, President Tinubu conducted a high-level meeting with investors and stakeholders regarding the Nigeria Carbon Market and the Electric Buses Rollout Program.The Director-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr. Dahiru Salisu, and the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, jointly unveiled the Nigeria Carbon Market Activation Plan with the President.
“At the same time, we are addressing climate change-related challenges, cutting carbon emissions, modernizing infrastructure systems, and promoting Nigeria as a desirable location for international investments. The electric bus program is just the beginning of a series of creative, clean, modern, and sustainable initiatives across diverse sectors.”With the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund during COP27 in Egypt and its formal operationalization at the COP28 opening plenary in Dubai, Nigeria stands to gain from it.
Significant non-debt funding will be provided by the fund to assist the nations most impacted by climate change. Contributions to the Fund totaling hundreds of millions of dollars have already been promised.To formalize agreements between the two nations, the president also met with the president of the United Arab Emirates. Apart from that, there have been bilateral discussions with several nations and multilateral partners.
Nigeria was the first African nation to issue a Sovereign Green Bond, initiate its Energy Transition Plan, and enact national climate change legislation. These accomplishments serve as evidence of Nigeria’s commitment to taking the lead on climate change.
“President Tinubu has been unequivocal in his position that Africa, which is battling problems of poverty and security and struggling to provide education and healthcare to her people, cannot be told to abandon its primary source of income, which is mostly from extractive industries, without the West providing the funding and investment in alternative and clean energy sources,” Idris continued in the statement.Whether it’s at the UNGA, the G20, or the current COP28, President Tinubu has been an outspoken advocate for Africa on the international front since taking office. At these fora, the president has had the backing of a similarly dedicated and aggressive delegation from Nigeria.
In order to reassure Nigerians that President Tinubu and other members of the federal government delegation are in Dubai for serious business and not a jamboree, it is imperative that the records be kept accurate.

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According to Mr. Godwin Obaseki, the governor of Edo State, he received an invitation to COP28 but chose to participate electronically because of the changes made to advance the state’s digital economy.
Obaseki made the comments in an interview with BBC Pidgin, according to a statement.
The governor said that the state had moved to a paperless work mode, which had improved and increased the flexibility, quality, and productivity of working in Edo civil and public service. He then listed the accomplishments documented in the last seven years of his administration.
“I told them I am going to join them virtual,” Obaseki said in response to an invitation to the COP28 in Dubai.As far as climate change is concerned, the state has much to offer. In addition to planting trees and protecting our property, we are addressing deforestation. We are committed to stopping the illegal tree-logging practice that is causing erosion in the state. We are trying to safeguard our people from the effects of climate change, even though it is still pouring in December.
Obaseki added that the state was making significant investments in the digital economy, particularly in the areas of workforce development and digital infrastructure.
“We have trained six cohorts of 100 students each on software engineering,” he stated in reference to technology. A few of them work for prestigious Edo enterprises here.Across the 18 local government districts in the state, we have installed 2,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable infrastructure. For this reason, the state’s civil and public service departments are completely paperless.