ABUJA – Former presidential candidate Peter Obi has strongly criticized the Nigerian government for sending 749 delegates to the COP30 climate conference, calling it a “stunning display of misplaced priorities.”
In a statement on social media platform X, Obi contrasted Nigeria’s delegation size of 749 with China’s 789 delegates, despite China having seven times Nigeria’s population and an economy nearly 100 times larger. He noted that while Nigeria needs representation at global climate talks, the expense is unjustifiable when approximately 150 million Nigerians live in multidimensional poverty.
“The human and financial resources expended on hundreds of officials travelling abroad could instead be directed toward urgent social investments at home,” Obi stated, highlighting Nigeria’s low life expectancy of 54 years compared to China’s 79 years.
The Labour Party stalwart urged the government to demonstrate responsible leadership by prioritizing domestic needs over large international delegations.
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