Despite that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was scheduled to deliver a speech at the United Nations climate change conference in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), he skipped the slot. Yusuf Tuggar, Minister of Foreign Affairs, came out with justification for Tinubu not speaking when he was billed to on Friday, saying that Nigeria was tired of official and fancy statements; now more action-oriented.
Said Tuggar said on the sidelines of the 28th edition of the Conference of Parties (COP28) on climate change.in Dubai: “Nigeria is 100 percent for action”.
Nigeria’s President Tinubu was billed to speak at the World Climate Action Summit on Friday alongside other heads of state, but did not. This raised questions about the country’s position at the conference.
Replied Tuggar when asked why the the Nigerian president did not deliver his speech as scheduled: “The speeches, to be honest, as good as they may be, are mostly a repeat of pledges or promises and Nigeria is saying enough is enough, it’s time for action”.
He said the government wanted a change of attitude towards the conference, away from colourful speeches which are repeated every year with very little progress made.
“The president was in the hall, he waited, he was going to give the speech, he listened and he decided, perhaps, that was not the time to give the speech. There were other engagements that he needed to be involved in that would be more productive”.
Tuggar added that it was not about just giving fancy speeches but actions.
On Nigeria’s engagement in the ongoing conference, he said Nigeria was taking the lead in the behind-the-scenes negotiations.
He said this was to ensure that developed countries, who are responsible for most of the emissions causing global warming, compensate developing countries in terms of loss and damage.
He further noted that the ongoing climate change conversations tally with the Nigeria’s 4D foreign approach, including migration, and development, among others.
