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The Nigerian Government under President Bola Tinubu has reportedly approved a $9 million lobbying contract with a Republican-linked firm in Washington, amid rising diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the United States.
An investigative report published on Tuesday by The Africa Report said the lobbying deal was arranged to engage the administration of US President Donald Trump and key American lawmakers over Nigeria’s security challenges, particularly the killing of Christians in parts of northern Nigeria.
According to the report, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, facilitated the engagement of US lobbying firm DCI Group through a Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal.
US Department of Justice filings cited in the report show that the Tinubu administration has already paid DCI Group an initial $4.5 million on December 12, 2025.
The payment covers a six-month retainer, with a second $4.5 million instalment due by July 2026, bringing the total contract value to $9 million, or about $750,000 per month.
The filings state that DCI Group was hired to help the Nigerian government communicate its efforts to protect Christian communities and sustain US support in counterterrorism operations against jihadist groups in West Africa.
The agreement was signed by Aster Legal’s Managing Director, Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, and DCI Group’s Managing Partner, Justin Peterson, a Republican strategist and ally of President Trump who previously served on Puerto Rico’s fiscal management board during Trump’s first term.
The lobbying contract was reportedly finalised weeks after President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing the Nigerian government’s alleged failure to curb widespread killings of Christians.
Four days after the deal was concluded, the United States imposed a partial travel ban on Nigerians, affecting tourist, business and student visa applicants. The Trump administration attributed the move to high visa overstay rates and what it described as inadequate Nigerian security vetting systems.
Tensions further escalated on December 25, 2025, when President Trump announced that US forces had carried out an airstrike targeting suspected insurgent hideouts in Sokoto State, northern Nigeria. Trump later warned that further strikes could follow if violence against Christian communities continued.
Military strikes: Tinubu govt allegedly pays Republican lobbyist $9m to appease Trump
