The Nigerian government, under President Bola Tinubu, has reportedly approved a $9 million lobbying contract with a Republican-linked firm in Washington, amid growing diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and the United States.
An investigative report published on Tuesday by The Africa Report disclosed that the lobbying arrangement was aimed at engaging the administration of United States President Donald Trump and influential American lawmakers over Nigeria’s security situation, particularly the killings of Christians in parts of northern Nigeria.
According to the report, Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, facilitated the engagement of the US lobbying firm, DCI Group, through a Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal.
Filings with the United States Department of Justice cited in the report indicated that the Tinubu administration had already paid DCI Group an initial sum of $4.5 million on December 12, 2025.
The payment reportedly covers a six-month retainer, with a second instalment of $4.5 million expected by July 2026, bringing the total value of the contract to $9 million, equivalent to about $750,000 monthly.
The filings stated that DCI Group was hired to assist the Nigerian government in communicating its efforts to protect Christian communities and to maintain United States support for counterterrorism operations against jihadist groups operating in West Africa.
The agreement was signed by the Managing Director of Aster Legal, Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, and DCI Group’s Managing Partner, Justin Peterson, a Republican strategist and known 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 just weeks after President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing the Nigerian government’s alleged inability to stop widespread killings of Christians.
Four days after the deal was concluded, the United States announced a partial travel ban on Nigerians, affecting tourist, business and student visa applicants. The Trump administration attributed the decision to high visa overstay rates and what it described as weak Nigerian security vetting systems.
Tensions escalated further on December 25, 2025, when President Trump announced that US forces had carried out an airstrike on suspected insurgent hideouts in Sokoto State, northern Nigeria. He later warned that additional strikes could follow if violence against Christian communities continued.
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