‎Millions spent as FG mounts global PR campaign to counter religious persecution allegations‎

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‎Financial records from the government tracking portal, GovSpend, reveal that the Federal Government allocated 500 million naira in late 2025 to launch an emergency PR drive targeting international media narratives around the targeted killing of Christians in Nigeria.
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‎The transaction log shows that 500,000,000 naira was approved on December 19, 2025, designated as a “Fund to SA to President on Media & Policy Communications for emergency Strategic Communications & Global Media Engagement to counter coordinated Western propaganda against the government on alleged Christian persecution.”
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‎Alongside this domestic expenditure, the government entered into a 9 million dollar contract with an American lobbying group to manage relations with United States officials regarding violence against Christian communities.
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‎Filing documents under the United States Foreign Agents Registration Act show that Aster Legal, a law firm based in Kaduna, retained the public affairs group DCI Group on behalf of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
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‎The agreement, finalized on December 18, 2025, engages DCI Group to assist in communicating Nigeria’s actions to safeguard Christian populations and secure continued American backing in regional counterterrorism efforts.
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‎The terms mandate a monthly fee of 750,000 dollars, scaling to 9 million dollars over a full year, starting with a mandatory 4.5 million dollar advance payment for the first six months.
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‎This diplomacy push follows diplomatic friction after US President Donald Trump classified Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in October 2025 over religious freedom violations. Despite the classification, bilateral security collaboration against insurgent organizations like Boko Haram and ISWAP has persisted.
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‎The Nigerian government recently publicized a letter from President Donald Trump addressed to President Bola Tinubu, which stated:
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‎”Thank you for your thoughtful letter. Your kind words mean a great deal to me, and I appreciate your decisive leadership on behalf of the Nigerian people. I applaud your resolve to tackle the issues plaguing your nation, especially the violence affecting Christian communities, and it is a true honour to stand with you in the fight against terrorists and to make the Federal Republic of Nigeria stronger and more prosperous.”
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‎The message continued: “The United States-Nigeria relationship is crucial at a time where conflict has spread across West Africa and around the world. We both share a mutual goal of confronting terrorism in all its forms, and our historic U.S.-Nigeria 2026 Defence Cooperation Roadmap has established a robust framework to accomplish this feat.”
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‎Authorities in Nigeria maintain that widespread insecurity stems from criminality, banditry, and terrorism that harms both Christian and Muslim populations, rather than state-sponsored religious persecution.
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‎However, security figures underscore an escalating crisis. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project shows that Nigeria recorded 7,956 violent incidents between July 2025 and June 2026, leading to nearly 15,000 deaths.
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‎ Violence against civilians made up 3,494 of these events, with northern states like Borno, Katsina, and Zamfara bearing the brunt of the casualties.
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‎Speaking on the security situation during the Second National Economic Council Conference in Abuja, President Bola Tinubu stated:
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‎”I assure you we will win with determination and resilience. We will overcome this unacceptable terrorism and banditry. It’s not part of our culture. It’s foreign to us.”
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‎The practice of retaining overseas PR firms is not unique to the central government. Various state governments, public agencies, and opposition groups, including factions associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra movement, have routinely utilized US lobbying firms to shape foreign policy and international opinion.