LAGOS JANUARY 13TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Nigeria is leveraging the 2026 Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) to translate climate commitments into tangible, fundable projects, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, told newsmen, yesterday, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
But Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s absence from the country for the ADSW, insisting that Nigeria cannot be governed from a foreign land.
Tuggar explained that the ADSW, coming after the recent global climate summit in Brazil, provided a crucial window to “concretise” agreements reached at the Conference of Parties (COP), preventing them from ending as mere declarations.
“Events like this allow countries to extract tangible projects, commitments and funding that may have been agreed at COP,” the minister said, noting that Nigeria is focused on improving project preparation to unlock financing opportunities from participating governments and institutions.
According to him, Nigeria’s participation builds on engagements from last year’s edition, where partnerships were initiated.
“We are taking this further,” Tuggar said, revealing that President Tinubu was scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with the President of UAE, Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
A major outcome expected from the bilateral meeting, he said, is the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which would provide stronger protection for investments from both countries.
“Investors from UAE have indicated that they want the agreement signed to ensure their investments are protected. On the Nigerian side, it also safeguards Nigerians who are doing business here; many even own factories, and it dignifies Nigerians wherever they invest or visit,” Tuggar stated.
The minister outlined priority sectors under discussion, including gas development to power electricity generation, trade and manufacturing.
He said Nigeria “is expanding gas pipelines, conducting licensing rounds for acreage and encouraging further investment in exploration and production” to address power supply challenges.
On the President’s expected address, Tuggar said Tinubu would focus on Nigeria’s climate deliverables, nationally-determined contributions (NDCs), and the need to package projects as bankable to access global climate funds.
“There are funds available globally, but you must convince funders that projects are viable,” he said, adding that Nigeria would also articulate its broader position in global climate and sustainability discourse, stressing solutions that are both impactful and sustainable.
IN a statement shared on X, Obi questioned Tinubu’s whereabouts, noting that the President spent 196 days abroad in 2025 — more time outside than within — while the country faces “extreme” poverty.
The former Anambra State governor said Nigerians had received no direct word from Tinubu since December 2025, with neither a New Year address nor a national broadcast to provide reassurance during a period marked by anxiety and uncertainty.
He described the pattern as “leadership by absence”, insisting that true governance requires physical presence, direct media briefings and clarity, not remote management.
The Guardian-Nigeria
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