By Myke Uzendu, Abuja
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised the Bola Ahmed Tinubu government for reportedly approving a $9 million lobbying contract with a US firm, labelling it a “scandalous” and “obscene” misuse of scarce public funds to “launder” Nigeria’s battered international image while citizens endure escalating insecurity and economic distress.
The Federal Government, through the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, recently signed a $9 million lobbying and strategic communications contract with the US-based firm DCI Group (via an intermediary law firm, Aster Legal) in December 2025.
The primary purpose of the six-month agreement (with automatic renewal) is to “assist the Nigerian government in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities” abroad, counter international allegations of religiously motivated violence and state failure in safeguarding minorities, sustain US support for counter-terrorism efforts against jihadist groups in West Africa, and improve Nigeria’s image in Washington amid heightened scrutiny under Trump administration.
In a statement signed by National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi on Wednesday, the opposition party described the six-month deal (with automatic renewal) as a reflection of “misplaced priorities and moral blindness,” especially when millions of Nigerians struggle to afford food, fuel, or healthcare amid mass killings and widespread violence.
“No government in Africa has ever committed such an obscene sum to a short-term public relations exercise. Spending $9 million on image management at a time when thousands have been killed is a clear case of misplaced priorities,” the ADC declared.
The party highlighted that the contract, facilitated through Aster Legal on behalf of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and aimed at communicating efforts to protect Christian communities while sustaining US support against jihadist groups, amounts to an “admission of diplomatic failure.” It noted vacant ambassadorial posts and accused the government of outsourcing diplomacy to lobbyists, reducing foreign policy to “transactional propaganda.”
The ADC warned that framing the effort around “Christian protection” risks inflaming sectarian tensions in a country already divided along religious and ethnic lines. “Security failures affect all Nigerians, regardless of faith, and cannot be addressed through selective messaging abroad instead of justice, accountability, and effective governance at home,” Abdullahi stated.
The party insisted that no paid lobbying can erase the reality of “mass killings, widespread insecurity, and state failure,” urging the government to redirect resources toward protecting lives, rebuilding trust in institutions, and tackling root causes rather than pursuing “ephemeral optics.”
