Paul Ibe, media aide to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has accused the Bola Tinubu-led government of “preaching austerity while indulging in excess.”
Ibe was reacting to media reports that the Tinubu administration sponsored 634 delegates to the ongoing #COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The reports also revealed that the Nigerian delegation spent a staggering N866 million in flight expenses alone.
Writing on X, Ibe stated: “Under the stewardship of President Tinubu, Nigeria has sadly garnered notoriety on the global stage, setting Guinness World Records albeit for all the wrong reasons.
“A case in point is the size of the nation’s delegations to international conferences and state visits, which have ballooned to staggering proportions.
“At the ongoing #COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, Nigeria proudly claims the title of Africa’s largest delegation, with an astounding 634 individuals making the trip.
“According to Business Day, this monumental entourage has racked up a staggering N866 million in flight expenses alone. This comes hot on the heels of the 2023 #COP28 summit in Dubai, where President Tinubu’s delegation swelled to an eye-popping 1,411 members.
“Not only did this extravagant “owambe” display earn Nigeria the dubious honour of the largest delegation from Africa, but it also positioned the nation as the third largest of all participating countries.
“Ironically, amidst this lavish display of largesse, the very same administration is espousing the implementation of the Steve Oronsaye Report – an initiative ostensibly designed to streamline governance and reduce costs.
“The current APC administration’s approach to governance seems to be a contradiction in terms —preaching austerity while indulging in excess.”