The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration over reports that the federal government approved a $9 million contract for US-based lobbying services.
The party described the move as an attempt to “launder the government’s image abroad” while Nigerians continue to face worsening insecurity and economic hardship.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC said the expenditure reflects “misplaced priorities,” pointing out that thousands of citizens have been killed and millions struggle to afford basic necessities.
“No amount of paid lobbying can cover up the government’s failure to protect lives and property,” the statement read.
The party argued that deploying scarce public funds to improve the administration’s international image, instead of addressing Nigeria’s deepening security and economic crises, is “scandalous and morally indefensible.”
The ADC further said no African government had ever spent such a sum on a short-term public relations exercise.
While acknowledging the need to represent Nigeria internationally, the party warned that spending $9 million on image management at a time of severe domestic hardship shows “moral blindness.”
The ADC also labelled the decision an admission of diplomatic failure.
“A government that has left key ambassadorial positions vacant now seeks to outsource diplomacy to lobbyists, weakening institutional credibility and reducing foreign policy to transactional propaganda,” the statement said.
Highlighting the disconnect between the lobbying effort and realities on the ground, the party said: “Paid lobbying in Washington cannot erase mass killings, widespread insecurity, and state failure at home. A president who declares a state of emergency on security and then goes on foreign holidays cannot be rescued by public relations firms.”
The party also criticised framing the lobbying as an effort to “communicate Christian protection,” warning it could deepen sectarian tensions and politicise security in a country already divided along religious and ethnic lines.
“Security failures affect all Nigerians, regardless of faith, and cannot be addressed through selective messaging abroad. Nigeria does not need propaganda; it needs leadership.”
“Resources should protect lives, restore trust in state institutions, and rebuild the country, not polish the image of a government that has failed in its core responsibility,” the ADC said.
