The Peoples Democratic Party, on Sunday, chided President Bola Tinubu over his delegation of “1,411 individuals” to the Conference of the Parties in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
It therefore called on the National Assembly to commence investigation into what it described as an “embarrassing revelation” and impose appropriate sanction on anyone or institution found culpable.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party described the large delegation as an indication of the government’s wastefulness and recklessness in the allocation of scarce national resources at a time Nigerians are craving efficient leadership to bail the nation out of the woods.
The statement read in part, “Our party and all well-meaning Nigerians are appalled by the level of profligacy inherent in the All Progressives Congress administration whose actions and policies so far are skewed towards the promotion and institutionalisation of corruption.
“The attempt to deceive Nigerians even when the list of the delegation is in the public domain, shows that the APC administration is irredeemably depraved.
“We ask, why would a country whose citizens are dying daily from inability to purchase necessities be willing to fritter its resources and scarce foreign exchange in such a manner?
“It only points to the fact that this administration is not interested in the good of the generality of our citizens but for a select few positioned to fleece the nation’s resources.”
The PDP urged the Tinubu-led Presidency to come clean by making public, “The names of the official delegation sponsored by the Federal Government to the conference, the relevance of such individuals to the conference and the total cost of such sponsorship on the nation.
“Of course, Nigerians have the list and they know the genuine officials of sub-national governments and other self-sponsored entities at the Conference.”
The party further called on the National Assembly, according to its Constitutional duty under Section 88 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) which empowers it to investigate and expose corruption by any organ of government, “To immediately commence investigation into this embarrassing revelation and impose an appropriate sanction on anyone or institution found culpable in that regard.
“Our party also demands that President Tinubu should be ready to refund any Federal Government fund improperly spent to sponsor any individual who has no relevance at the conference. Such funds should be channeled to projects that have a direct bearing on the wellbeing of Nigerians.”