The Presidency has rejected claims that the Federal Government sponsored 289 delegates to the recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) conference in Geneva, Switzerland.

In an interview on Monday, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disputed the claim, stating that the government did not sponsor all the delegates.

Onanuga challenged critics to scrutinize the delegate list and identify which individuals were sponsored by the government.

He noted that officials from the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, labor delegates, and private individuals were also listed as attendees.

According to ILO’s website, Nigeria had the largest delegation among the 187 countries represented at the event, with Brazil and Argentina ranking second and third with 191 and 156 delegates respectively.

The Nigerian contingent included government officials such as Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, as well as representatives from Chevron, TotalEnergies, and other private bodies.

Labor leaders like President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, and President of the Trade Union Congress, Festus Osifo, were also part of the delegation.

Onanuga emphasized that it would be unfair to label the Federal Government as sponsoring all 289 delegates.

He urged critics to examine the delegate list and recognize that many attendees were not sponsored by the government.