By Ada Okafor
The opposition Labour Party (LP) has berated Nigeria’s 1,411 delegation to the United Nations COP28 holding in Dubai, saying it is “a continuation of the culture of waste which the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration has become infamous for”.
In a statement by Dr. Obiora Ifoh, National Publicity Secretary of the party, “it is sad that a government which has been preaching to Nigerians to tighten their belts and sacrifice for the economy to pick up, is involved in this wasteful venture.
“There is no moral justification for the Federal Government of Nigeria to deplete our scarce foreign reserves to sponsor over 1,411 persons on what is the obviously a shopping spree for cronies and government apologists”.
The party wondered why a government which is currently engaged in approaching lenders to borrow money to pay salaries and meet other obligations, would embark on such a waste.
Accorsing to the LP, “the answer is not far fetched, this government is not interested in the wellbeing of citizens.
“It is only interested in satisfying the luxurious lifestyles of those in power and those close to it”.
It noted that “Nigeria has diplomatic ties with the UAE, we have an embassy, trained and efficient diplomats who, if allowed to do their jobs, can provide all the support Mr. President and the Ministers of Trade and Investment, as well as Foreign Affairs and a number of captains of industries need to fully represent Nigeria at the summit.
“But no. This wasteful administration must fulfill the fantasies of its cronies who are in a constant look out for opportunities to waste public funds”.
Dr. Ifoh stated that “the Naira is today trading at over N1,200 to $USD 1, the 2024 budget recently submitted to the National Assembly does not inspire confidence because it lacks any ounce of seriousness to provide the necessary atmosphere to support small businesses and stimulate the economy for growth.
“Inflation is at all time high, the security situation is dire with killings, kidnappings and all forms of violence being unleashed on Nigerians by non-state actors.
“This administration and its officials appear not to have a clue as to what to do to deal with these challenges, but take every opportunity to hop on planes at tax-payers expense to escape from the country under the guise of looking for direct foreign investments”.
He stated that like their presidential candidate in the 2023 election Mr. Peter Obi, has alway said, “we must end this culture of waste and improve our capacity for production in order to compete at the global stage.
“We must begin to look inwards to improve our productivity by supporting local businesses, cut the cost of governance and operate a lean bureaucracy in order to ensure Nigerians get real value for money.
“Then and only then can we be on the path of real growth”.
