…Nigeria chose PR over tackling insecurity” – U.S Senator
The Federal Government spent ₦500 million in 2025 on an emergency strategic communications campaign to counter international allegations of Christian persecution in Nigeria, even as it separately secured a $9 million contract with a United States lobbying firm to influence U.S. policymakers on the country’s security and religious freedom record.
Records on the Federal Government’s expenditure tracking platform, GovSpend, show that ₦500 million was released on December 19, 2025 to the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Policy Communications for what was described as an “emergency Strategic Communications & Global Media Engagement to counter coordinated Western propaganda against the government on alleged Christian persecution”.
The domestic media campaign coincided with the government’s decision to engage DCI Group, a U.S.-based public affairs and lobbying firm, under a $9 million, one-year contract to communicate Nigeria’s efforts to protect Christian communities and sustain American support for counterterrorism operations against Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), and other extremist groups.
Documents filed under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) show that Aster Legal, a Kaduna-based law firm, retained DCI Group on behalf of the Office of the National Security Adviser, headed by Nuhu Ribaɗu. The agreement, signed on December 18, 2025, provides for monthly payments of $750,000, amounting to $9 million over one year, with an initial six-month retainer of $4.5 million.
The communications campaign followed increased international scrutiny after U.S. President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern (CPC)’ in October 2025 over allegations of widespread persecution of Christians. Although the designation is among Washington’s strongest classifications on religious freedom violations and can attract sanctions, security cooperation between both countries has continued.
The Nigerian government also released what it said was a letter from President Trump to President Bola Tinubu, acknowledging violence affecting Christian communities while reaffirming U.S. support for Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
However, the Government’s media and lobbying efforts have drawn criticism from U.S. lawmakers, who argue that Nigeria should focus on addressing insecurity rather than improving its international image. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz said Nigeria’s engagement of DCI Group was an attempt to deflect American concerns over the country’s security crisis instead of addressing the root causes of the violence.
In a post on 𝕏, Cruz alleged that Nigerian officials had created conditions that enable violence against Christians and other religious minorities, accusing them of imposing blasphemy and Sharia laws while failing to stop attacks by jihadist groups. “The U.S. government knows the Nigerian officials responsible for these policies. I have been pushing my bill to sanction them, and President Trump has even ordered military action. Instead of responding to American concerns, Nigerian officials waged a public relations campaign against critics”, Cruz wrote.
The senator was reacting to the passage of an amendment by the U.S. House of Representatives increasing the proposed withholding of U.S. assistance to Nigeria from 50 per cent to 100 per cent until the country takes effective measures to prevent and respond to violence within its territory. Cruz had earlier sponsored the Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025, a bill aimed at sanctioning Nigerian officials he accused of facilitating attacks against Christians.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Chris Smith, also criticised Nigeria’s lobbying strategy, saying the contracts demonstrated that “a culture of denial by Nigerian officials persists”. The criticism came as another Washington lobbying arrangement emerged involving the Vice-Chairman of Tantita Security Services, Matthew Tonlagha, who retained Valcour Global Public Strategy to promote stronger bilateral relations between Nigeria and the U.S.
Despite the criticism, successive Nigerian governments have consistently maintained that the country’s security crisis is driven by terrorism, banditry, communal conflicts and other forms of criminality—not state-sponsored religious persecution. Officials insist that both Christians and Muslims have been victims of the violence and that security operations target criminal groups regardless of religious affiliation.
President Tinubu has repeatedly pledged to defeat terrorism and banditry, assuring Nigerians that his administration remains committed to restoring security, even as international advocacy groups continue to argue that Christians are disproportionately targeted in parts of the country.
