President Bola Tinubu was scheduled to speak at the COP 28 Climate Change Summit in Dubai, but the Nigerian government has stated that it was unnecessary for him to do so. According to reports, Nigeria is now more action-oriented and wants to move away from making fancy speeches that lack concrete actions. Speaking at the summit, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, explained that the speeches made at the summit are mostly a repetition of pledges or promises made in previous years. He stated that the president was present at the summit and was supposed to give the speech, but he decided that it was not the right time. The minister also mentioned that Nigeria is leading the negotiations behind the scenes to ensure that developed countries responsible for most of the emissions causing global warming compensate developing nations in terms of loss and damage. Additionally, he noted that the ongoing climate change conversations tally with Nigeria’s 4D foreign approach, including migration and development. Finally, the minister applauded the establishment of the loss and damage fund on the first day of the conference, stating that Nigeria was suited to benefit from it.
The Federal Government stated that Tinubu did not address the COP28 Summit as originally intended, without providing further details or clarification.
