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Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, Ajuri Ngelale has disclosed that the Bola Tinubu governnent’s cost-cutting efforts will save Nigeria over N10 billion during the forthcoming November, 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Addressing newsmen at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday on new innovations to assure prudence in public spending, Ngelale who also doubles as Presidential Spokesperson revealed that the present administration at the centre has opted out of purchasing a showcase pavilion which cost nearly $500,000 at COP28 in Dubai, and will instead utilize the delegation office within the conference complex for bilateral meetings.
According to Ngelale, who was accompanied to the briefing by the Dierctor-General of the National Council on Climate Change (NCCC), Dr Nkiruka Maduekwe, this decision alone will save nearly 90% of the pavilion’s cost.
Additionally, the Special Envoy said government has implemented the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal, which will eliminate wasteful expenditures on consultancies and subcontracts for lighting and technological provisions.
He revealed that these services will now be provided directly by the Secretariat of the National Council on Climate Change.
Ngelale attributed the cost-cutting measures to President Tinubu’s commitment to transparency and accountability, saying, “this is the change that Nigerians have asked for. This is the change that President Bola Tinubu is giving to them”.
“In addition to the portal, we’ve found, through our audit, that during COP28 in Dubai, there were significant expenditures made for the provision of platforms that proved to be, in our view, wasteful. So ahead of COP29 we have resolved and concluded that there will be no showcase pavilion as part of the federal government of Nigeria’s cost reduction efforts.
“We recognize that what can be achieved in a showcase pavilion can be achieved in a far more economically efficient mode by effectively utilizing the delegation office that is on site within the conference complex and this we will do. We have found that by taking that option the nearly $500,000 showcase pavilion that was purchased for last year’s COP28 will no longer be an item of expenditure in COP29.
“In addition, the delegates’ office that we will be using to conduct bilateral meetings and other meetings that otherwise would have been conducted in the showcase pavilion we will be conducting in the delegates office that will cost less than 10% of the cost of the showcase pavilion. This is the change that Nigerians have asked for. This is the change that President Bola Tinubu is giving to them.
“Furthermore, while 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, we are also ensuring that some of these wasteful platforms that give rise to consultancies and subcontracts for lighting, for technological provision that these are elements that can be provided directly from the Secretariat of the National Council on Climate Change.
“With all of the savings through the provision and implementation of the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal, as well as our active cut down of expenditure items that were found in the COP28 expenditure profile, we have put ourselves in a position to save this country over N10 billion on this 11 Day event in November, COP29.
“So the President will continue to ensure that Nigerians have confidence that in all of our activities moving forward, we have conducted comprehensive audits of where we have gone wrong in the past with a view to resolving them. COP 29 is just the beginning”.
The Presidential Envoy also announced the establishment of the Climate Accountability and Transparency Portal, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at increasing transparency and reducing costs in government delegations to international climate conferences.
The portal, launched by the NCCC, in collaboration with the office of the SPEC, will provide real-time information on members of delegations from various ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as the legislative branch of government, attending the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Ngelale stressed that the portal will ensure that only individuals with a clear economic imperative to attend the conference will be sponsored by the federal government.
According to him: “Anyone who is not engaging in activities directly linked to attracting business opportunities and finance into the country will not be part of the federal government’s delegation this time around”.
This move, he stated, is part of the Bola Tinubu administration’s efforts to cut costs and promote transparency in governance.
Ngelale disclosed that the portal will enable Nigerians to access information on government delegations and hold them accountable for their actions, promoting a more responsible and efficient use of public resources.
Deji Elumoye
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