Opposition parties - the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the Labour Party (LP) - have faulted the Bola Tinubu administration over reports that the Federal Government approved a $9 million contract for lobbying services in the United States, accusing it of wasting scarce resources amid worsening insecurity and economic hardship.
The parties said the reported contract exposed what they described as the administration’s obsession with image management abroad while Nigerians at home continue to battle rising inflation, unemployment, hunger and persistent violence.
The criticism follows disclosures that the Federal Government engaged a U.S.-based lobbying firm to communicate Nigeria’s security efforts - particularly the protection of Christians - to the United States government, amid international concerns over insecurity in the country.
Documents reportedly filed with the U.S. Department of Justice showed that Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal, retained DCI Group, a public affairs and lobbying firm in the United States, under a $9 million agreement on behalf of the Office of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
The contract was said to have been signed on December 17, 2025, by Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, managing partner of Aster Legal, and Justin Peterson, managing member of DCI Group.
The development has triggered public outrage, with critics describing the deal as extravagant at a time when many Nigerians are struggling to meet basic needs. While some have defended the lobbying as necessary to counter damaging narratives about Nigeria abroad, opposition parties insist it reflects misplaced priorities.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC condemned the alleged expenditure, describing it as an attempt to launder the government’s image rather than confront Nigeria’s security crisis.
The party said no amount of paid lobbying could mask the reality of killings, kidnappings and state failure across the country.
“Spending $9 million on a short-term public relations campaign at a time when millions of Nigerians cannot afford food, fuel or basic healthcare is a clear demonstration of moral blindness and misplaced priorities,” the ADC said.
It added that the move amounted to an admission of diplomatic failure, noting that Nigeria had left key ambassadorial positions vacant while resorting to outsourcing diplomacy to foreign lobbyists.
The ADC also warned that portraying the lobbying effort as a campaign to protect Christians risked inflaming religious tensions, stressing that insecurity affects Nigerians of all faiths and regions.
The PDP echoed similar concerns, with its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, accusing the Tinubu administration of focusing on optics rather than addressing the underlying problems facing the country.
Ememobong said Nigeria’s international reputation could only improve through better governance and improved welfare for citizens, not through expensive lobbying contracts.
“In today’s globalised world, people can easily find out what is happening in your country through social media and the lived experiences of your citizens, including Nigerians studying and working abroad,” he said.
Describing the alleged contract as wasteful, the PDP spokesman said, “This government is playing to the gallery and ignoring the real needs of the people. Optics will not help them. Reality will always catch up.”
The NNPP also criticised the reported deal, with its National Publicity Secretary, Oladipo Johnson, describing it as insensitive given Nigeria’s economic challenges.
Johnson argued that effective diplomacy required the posting of ambassadors, not the engagement of lobbyists, adding that foreign governments already had intelligence mechanisms to assess Nigeria’s security situation.
“With inflation, unemployment and insecurity rising, paying lobbyists sends the wrong message. If security were being properly handled, they would know without anyone telling them,” he said.
Attempts to get a response from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were unsuccessful, as calls to its National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, were unanswered as of press time.
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