The Federal Government has responded to the controversy over the number of Nigerian delegates attending the ongoing Climate Summit in Dubai.

The Ministry of Information, in a statement, said it has become necessary to provide clarity in line with its standing pledge to conduct itself with transparency and accessibility regarding public information.

The Convention of Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the world’s preeminent climate change conference, attended this year (COP-28) by more than 70,000 participants and delegates from over 100 countries.

The statement said parties to the convention from Nigeria include government officials, representatives from the private sector, civil society, the voluntary sector, state governments, media, multilateral institutions, representatives of marginalised communities, and many others.

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The statement noted: “It is imperative to point out that the overall Nigerian delegation to COP-28 comprises government-sponsored (federal and state governments) and non-government-sponsored participants (from private companies, NGOs, CSOs, media, academia, etc).”

According to the statement, the federal government-funded delegation is made up of a total of 422 persons from National Council on Climate Change (32); Federal Ministry of Environment (34); all ministries (167); Presidency (67); Office of the Vice President (9); National Assembly (4); and federal parastatals and agencies (73).