Dare Babalola
Former Nigerian presidential candidate Peter Obi has criticised the government’s decision to send a large delegation of 749 officials to the COP30 climate talks, questioning the prioritisation of resources amidst widespread poverty and hardship in the country.
In a statement he shared on his social media accounts on Saturday, Obi noted that while Nigeria has the third-largest delegation at the conference, the country struggles with multidimensional poverty, food insecurity, and inadequate healthcare, affecting about 150 million citizens.
He continued, “In Delegations, Nigeria competes well. Again, in a bitter twist of irony, we thank Nigeria for having the third-largest delegation at COP30, with 749 delegates, similar to China with 789 delegates. While Nigeria needs to have a strong voice in global climate discussions, this spectacle comes at a heavy cost to our people with about 150 million living in multidimensional poverty, struggling daily with food insecurity, inadequate healthcare, and limited access to basic services.”
Obi also highlighted the stark contrast between Nigeria and China, despite similar delegation sizes.
Obi added, “Compared to China, which had about the same contingency, China has a high HDI, while Nigeria has a low one, with a key measure of life expectancy at the lowest 54 years, against China’s 79 years. China’s GDP stands at $18.74 trillion, while Nigeria’s GDP is barely 1% of that size, a little over 200 billion dollars.”
He emphasised that the resources spent on the delegation could be better utilised, “The human and financial resources expended on hundreds of officials travelling abroad could instead be directed toward urgent social investments at home, improving healthcare, education, and living conditions to lift our people out of poverty.”
Obi concluded, “Our participation on the international stage must reflect responsible leadership, one that truly prioritises the needs of our people and demonstrates our genuine capacity to engage meaningfully in global climate action.”
