The Nigerian government says it will save N10 billion during the 11 days of the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024.

Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action (SPEC), Ajuri Ngelale, made this known on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at the State House Abuja while briefing journalists on measures the government is deploying to cut down the cost of governance.

Communicating President Tinubu’s directives, Ngelale said the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), in collaboration with the Office of Envoy on Climate Action, has resolved that there will be no showcase pavilion. He was accompanied by the Director General of NCCC, Nkiru Maduekwe.

Ngelale said: “The team decided to deploy the on-site delegation office which would only cost 10 per cent of $500,000 expenditure incurred on the COP28 showcase pavilion. This would also achieve the same set of results in an economically efficient mode.”

He said that this would no longer be part of the COP29 expenditure.

Speaking further on the partnership between the NCCC and the office of the Envoy on Climate Action, Ngelale added that the climate action offices have jointly established the climate accountability and transparency portal, which would facilitate easy capturing of COP29 delegates from across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) including the legislative members.

“So, ahead of COP29, the Nigerian government has decided not to set up a showcase pavilion as part of its cost reduction strategy. Instead, it will utilise the on-site delegation office within the conference complex, which is a more economically efficient option.

“This decision eliminates the nearly $500,000 expenditure on the showcase pavilion from COP28. The delegation office, used for bilateral and other meetings, will cost less than 10% of the previous pavilion’s cost.”

Ngelale emphasised that the aim is to ensure that delegates on government sponsorship have economic imperatives to the conference, multilateral partners and stakeholders thereby attracting finance and opportunity into Nigeria for the benefit of citizens.

He further disclosed that the audit of COP28 which revealed significant expenditures incurred for the provision of platforms that have proven to be wasteful, have now been eliminated.

Furthermore, Ngelale affirmed that the Nigerian Climate Action team would ensure that wasteful platforms that gave rise to consultancies and sub-contracts for technological provision would all also be eliminated.

He explained that “wasteful expenditures from COP28, including consultancies and subcontracts for lighting and technology, have been eliminated. These services can now be provided directly by the Secretariat of the National Council on Climate Change. With the introduction of the climate accountability and transparency portal and a significant reduction in expenditure items identified in the COP28 profile, the government projects savings of over N10 billion for the 11-day event in November.

“This is the change that Nigerians have asked for. This is the change that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is giving to them. Furthermore, we ensure that we are not getting involved in high-end purchases of pavilion spaces at a time when our people are grappling with economic difficulty.”

Ngelale stressed that President Bola Tinubu would continue to ensure that Nigerians have confidence in all its activities following consistent comprehensive audits of events

“COP29 marks the beginning of a new phase, emphasising that the President would continue to ensure that Nigerians have confidence in all future activities.

“Comprehensive audits have been conducted to address past mistakes, with a commitment to resolving them,” he added.