In response to reports that the Federal Government approved a $9 million contract for lobbying services in the United States, the African Democratic Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party, and Labour Party have criticized the Bola Tinubu administration, characterizing it as an attempt to improve Nigeria’s reputation abroad while its citizens continue to struggle with growing economic hardship and insecurity.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the spending demonstrated misplaced priorities, stressing that no amount of paid lobbying could cover up bloodshed or the government’s failure to safeguard lives and property.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, told The PUNCH in an exclusive interview that the Tinubu administration appeared more focused on appearances than governance. He added that no amount of lobbying could obscure the fact that improving citizens’ welfare remained the only sustainable way to enhance Nigeria’s global image.
Similarly, the NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Oladipo Johnson, criticised the contract as wasteful, arguing that appointing and posting ambassadors to countries, including the United States, would be a more effective means of ensuring proper communication.
Former United States President Donald Trump had repeatedly claimed that Christians in Nigeria were facing genocide and had even threatened military action.
The Federal Government, however, clarified that while Nigeria faced security challenges, there was no genocide occurring in the country.
Despite the tensions, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM), in collaboration with the Tinubu administration, conducted airstrikes on December 25 against terrorists in Sokoto State.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that the Federal Government had engaged a lobbying firm under a $9 million contract to communicate its efforts to protect Christians in Nigeria to the United States government.
Documents filed with the U.S. Department of Justice indicated that Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal, retained the U.S.-based public affairs and lobbying firm, DCI Group, on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The agreement was signed on December 17, 2025, by Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, Managing Partner of Aster Legal, and Justin Peterson, Managing Member of DCI Group.
Reacting, the ADC lamented that no African government had ever spent such an “outrageous” amount on a short-term public relations campaign.
It said, “While the ADC recognises the importance of representing Nigeria’s interests internationally, spending $9 million on image management at a time when millions of Nigerians cannot afford food, fuel or basic healthcare is a clear case of misplaced priorities and moral blindness.
“This decision is also an admission of diplomatic failure. A government that has left key ambassadorial positions vacant now seeks to outsource diplomacy to lobbyists, further weakening Nigeria’s institutional credibility and reducing foreign policy to transactional propaganda.
“More troubling is the illusion that paid lobbying in Washington can erase the reality of mass killings, widespread insecurity and state failure at home. No amount of image laundering can wash away the blood of thousands of Nigerians killed under this administration’s watch. Lobbying to impress foreign leaders cannot substitute for a coherent strategy to end the bloodbath. A President who declares a state of emergency on security and then proceeds on foreign holidays cannot be rescued by public relations firms.
