Climate Change DG, Nkiruka Madueke In Abuse of Power Controversies: Denies Nigeria MDAs’ Delegates Accreditation In Germany

A storm is brewing not in the skies, but within the Nigerian climate change community as the Director General of the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS), Dr. Nkiruka Chidia Madueke, faces mounting criticism for what many are calling high-handed, selfish, and unpatriotic conduct during the ongoing 62nd Session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn, Germany.

Dr. Madueke, who turned 40 on May 27, 2025, is Nigeria’s focal person for all climate change engagements globally and the sole authority responsible for accrediting Nigerian delegates to climate-related international conferences. However, her tenure — just a year old — has been riddled with accusations of arrogance, gatekeeping, and institutional sabotage.

In what has been described as a “disgraceful abuse of office,” multiple Nigerian delegates were reportedly denied access to the Bonn session because Dr. Madueke refused to facilitate or approve their accreditation — even when approached by the official UNFCCC registration desk. According to sources at the venue, her response to requests for delegate registration was a cold and final: “We have already accredited our nominees. Accreditation in Nigeria has closed, and I am unable to do anything else unfortunately”. This was inspite of ongoing daily registrations by the UNFCCC to accommodate Government delegations.

This dismissive stance raised eyebrows not only among Nigerians present at the conference but also among international officials, who questioned whether she was truly representing her country or acting on personal agenda. One UNFCCC registration official, speaking anonymously, reportedly asked, “Does this woman work for the Nigerian government or for herself?”

The Bonn debacle is not Dr. Madueke’s first brush with controversy. At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan in November last year, insiders revealed she had a fiery altercation with high-ranking government functionaries, an incident that allegedly reached Aso Rock and nearly cost her the job. According to a senior source within the Presidency, “She was literally on her knees, begging and reeling on the floor to save her job after her rudeness in Baku became the talk of Nigeria’s delegation.”

Critics say Dr. Madueke has brought a toxic style of leadership to an office previously held by respected technocrats. “She behaves as though she is above ministers,” a frustrated official from the Federal Ministry of Environment revealed. “She once boasted openly that she reports directly to the President and not even to the Chief of Staff. That tells you the kind of inflated sense of self-importance she carries.”

Within the Nigerian environmental policy space, many now fear that the nation’s credibility at international climate fora is rapidly eroding under her watch. Delegates lament being marginalized, and some say the entire climate change secretariat is fast becoming a one-woman show — opaque, inaccessible, and lacking coordination.

“There’s no doubt she’s intelligent,” says a former diplomat who has worked closely with past Nigerian delegations. “But her style of leadership is abrasive, exclusionary, and reckless. You don’t build coalitions by alienating your own people.” Multiple arms of government have huge climate related issues and should be fully encouraged to participate at various critical international events to support national policy design and implementation as it relates to the global climate change agenda.

As the global climate emergency intensifies, observers believe Nigeria cannot afford internal discord and ego-driven leadership in its climate change apparatus. The nation’s voice at the UNFCCC — a platform that shapes global policy on emission reduction, adaptation financing, and energy transition — must be cohesive, representative, and effective.

As it stands, Dr. Madueke’s recent actions in Bonn have not only raised serious questions about her suitability for the role but also ignited calls for a government review of her position. Already, sources hint that a dossier chronicling these incidents is making the rounds in Abuja, and top decision-makers are taking note.

Whether this signals the beginning of the end for Dr. Madueke’s tenure or a course correction remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that Nigeria’s climate diplomacy is facing a critical test — one not of carbon emissions or rising sea levels, but of leadership ethics and institutional integrity.