Some Namibians have expressed outrage over the inclusion of
President Hage Geingob’s children in the government’s delegation to the ongoing
COP28 climate summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
In a list published by the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), four of the president’s children were
included in the Namibian delegation.
“We are treated like orphans in Namibia. Why should the
president’s children go to Dubai and we have to go Swakop? And we still have to
pay they don’t!!!!,” Chango, an X user, tweeted on Tuesday.
The Namibian presidency confirmed in a statement that the
first children were part of the delegation but said their trip was not
state-funded.
“There is no truth in the allegations that the children of
the First Couple travelled at state expense to the United Arab Emirates,” the
statement said.
“President Geingob and Madame Geingos paid for the flights
and accommodation expenses of their children.
“The Presidency considers these allegations to be malicious
and politically motivated, with the clear intent to detract from the excellent
work President Geingob and the Namibian delegation have been carrying out at
#COP28.
“The Namibian public and the media should be rest assured
that not a single cent of public funds has been spent on the children of the
First Couple.”
However, Inna Hengari, a member of parliament, said the
first family travelled at taxpayers’ expense and the funds should be accounted
for.
“We will bring it to the House when we resume next year,”
she said.
AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS ACCUSED OF USING COP28 TO SPLURGE
The controversy in Namibia comes amid criticisms against
African governments for sending large delegations to COP28, which some citizens
describe as a waste of scarce resources.
According to the UN’s attendance list, Nigeria, Morocco,
Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, and Uganda were among the nations with the largest
teams.
Nigeria topped the list with 1,411 delegates, followed by
Morocco with 823, and Kenya with 765.
The Nigerian delegation includes Seyi and Hakeem, children
of President Bola Tinubu, who were listed as staff of the Nigerian government.
Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP)
in the last general election, said the size of the Nigerian delegation, which
was also the third-highest overall alongside China, was a clear example of
misplaced priorities given the surging inflation and asphyxiating economy back
home.
However, Mohammed Idris, minister of information and
national orientation, said only 422 of the 1,411-member delegation were
sponsored by the federal government.
Idris said some of the participants were sponsored by state
governments and private entities.
The Kenyan government also had to address concerns about
delegate numbers, saying the figures in the public sphere had been
“exaggerated”.
Hussein Mohammed, Kenyan presidential spokesperson, said the
figures represented those who had registered for the event, not the actual
attendees, adding that the national government had approved only 51 essential
delegates, with the remainder sponsored by various groups.
Fighting backlash of its own, the Tanzanian government said
over 90 percent of the country’s delegation was sponsored by the private
sector.
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