Distrust Nigerians have called out the federal government over the reported $9 million contract awarded to a United States lobbying firm, Aster Legal to assist in resolving allegations of Christians genocide with the President Donald Trump administration.
Not a few Nigerians, opposition political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party, African Democratic Congress, ADC and others have condemned the act, as unnecessary and defective.
Recall that the Trump administration had last year ramp up pressure on the Nigerian government to reign in Islamist terrorists killing Christians in the country, failure which it vowed to act militarily.
On December 25, 2025, President Trump ordered the US African Command, Africom to launch an air strike against alleged terrorists in Sokoto state, in what security analysts insist was Trump’s attempt to put more pressure on the Nigerian government to act against those killing Christians in the country.
Last December, the federal government delegation led by the National Security Adviser, NSA Nuhu Ribadu met with some Trump’s administration officials, in Washington D.C., including US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, Secretary of War , Pete Hegseth, and some congressmen in an attempt to douse the diplomatic tension between the two countries.
According to the PDP, the Tinubu administration is trying to use the lobby firm to cover up the problems at home, the party also questioned why the federal government chose to engage the firm when there are countless agencies that can do the job.
On its part, the ADC said the federal government’s action was indefensible, stressing that the amount paid the lobbying firm is too huge, at a time many Nigerians are facing serious economic crisis and find it hard to survive.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, the PDP described the contract as shameful and disgraceful, saying despite the “litany of media aides” available the administration chose to hire a foreign firm to launder its image” with the Trump administration.
‘’This revelation is as disturbing as it is shameful that a government with a full Ministry of Information and a litany of media aides will be paying a foreign firm to launder its image.
‘’This is a clear indication that the president does not have confidence in the Ministry of Information and his media aides, whereas the Ministry of Information is manned by a seasoned professionals led by a Public Relations expert-who has in the last few years exhibited maturity and responsibility in the management of government information.
“Furthermore, we seek clarification from the presidency on the following: Was this contract budgeted for in the 2025 budget? Why was it done through a private law firm and not the Federal Ministry of Justice?
‘’What are the duties of the Information and Public Relations officers in the diplomatic missions abroad? What are the Key Performance Indicators for this contract?’’ the party sought to know.
“We remind the APC-led federal government that no lobbying or strategic communication firm can create narratives that will replace the lived experiences of the people, in contemporary times, where the world is a global village.”
Ememobong added that ‘’If the Tinubu administration is desirous of changing the perception of the country abroad, it should invest more in the security of lives and property, not in deceptive communication. The undeniable truth is that Nigerians have not felt this insecure, even during the civil war.
‘’The president should be more interested in ensuring that all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, are safe and free to worship God in their chosen way, and that mass killings are reduced to the barest minimum. When these feats are achieved, Nigerians will reflect safety, and that will concomitantly dictate the global perception of Nigerians.”
According to the ADC, in a statement signed by it National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, it’s a wasteful expenditure on the part of the federal government to hire a lobbying firm with such a humongous amount, noting that no amount of lobby can bring about security of life and property of citizens.
What the Tinubu administration should do, the ADC said, is to address the problem of insecurity in the country squarely instead of wasting scarce public resources on image laundering abroad, noting that Nigeria is the only country in Africa to have spent so much to lobby a foreign country, describing the act as “misplaced priorities and moral blindness.”
Part of ADC statement: “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.’’
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