The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced significant cost-cutting measures for the upcoming COP29 climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, aiming to save the nation over N10 billion.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, detailed the new measures, highlighting the government’s commitment to prudent spending.
“Many Nigerians would recall that as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the federal government of Nigeria’s delegation attended COP28 in Dubai, UAE, last year, there were some elements of outcry concerning the size of the delegation,” Ngelale said.
He pointed out that the government’s decision to reduce expenditures was driven by the need to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment caused by the lavish spending during COP28 in Dubai last November.
Among the measures, the government will not be hiring a showcase pavilion at COP29, a move that will save $500,000. Instead, a delegation office will be set up within the conference premises.
“We have found that by taking that option, the nearly $500,000 showcase pavilion that was purchased for last year’s COP28 will no longer be an item of expenditure in COP29,” Ngelale explained.
Additionally, Ngelale mentioned that the government will abandon wasteful platforms that previously required expensive consultancies and subcontracts for lighting and other technology provisions. These services will now be provided directly by the National Council on Climate Change, further reducing costs.
“There was some deliberate misinformation, but the truth of the matter is, we also found that there were government officials who had no business at that meeting, and some with significant delegations,” he stated.
Ngelale also revealed that an audit had been conducted on the COP28 expenditures, leading to these cost-saving decisions.
“As a result of that, within the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, which I lead, and in the Office of the Director General, CEO of the National Council on Climate Change in the person of Dr. Nkiruka Madukwe, an exercise has been concluded detailing exactly what the expenditure profile was of COP28 with a view to ensuring that we implement measures that would ensure that whatever is spent ahead of COP29 has a function that will lead to the economic empowerment of our people and the economic development of our nation.”
The audit revealed significant unnecessary spending at COP28, prompting the government to take these stringent measures for COP29.
“This is the change that Nigerians have asked for. This is the change that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is giving to them,” Ngelale affirmed.
Through these efforts, the Federal Government is poised to save over N10 billion on the 11-day event in November, underscoring a commitment to financial responsibility during challenging economic times.