‘Deceptive communication’ — PDP faults FG over $9m US lobbying contract

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the federal government for approving a $9 million contract for lobbying services in the United States.

The federal government hired DCI Group, a lobbying firm, to communicate its actions on protecting Christians in Nigeria to the US government.

In October 2025, US President Donald Trump redesignated Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern (CPC)’ in response to claims of a Christian genocide in the country.

The CPC is the US government designation of any country that engages in “systematic, ongoing, egregious violations of religious freedom”.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Ini Ememobong, PDP spokesperson, described the deal as “defective, shameful and deceptive”.

Ememobong said it is “disturbing” that the government hired a foreign firm to manage its international image despite having a full ministry of information.

He argued that the deal suggests a lack of confidence in the information ministry, which is staffed by seasoned professionals and led by a public relations expert with years of experience in managing government communication.

The PDP spokesperson demanded clarification from the presidency on several issues surrounding the contract, including whether it was captured in the 2025 budget, why it was executed through a private law firm rather than the ministry of justice, and the specific roles of information and public relations officers attached to Nigeria’s diplomatic missions abroad.

He said no lobbying or strategic communication firm can create narratives that replace people’s lived experiences.

Ememobong said if the federal government is desirous of changing the country’s perception abroad, it should invest more in protecting lives and properties, not in “deceptive communication”.

“The undeniable truth is that Nigerians have not felt this insecure, even during the civil war,” he said.

Ememobong said President Bola Tinubu should be more interested in ensuring that all Nigerians, irrespective of religion, are safe and free to worship in their chosen way and that mass killings are reduced to the barest minimum.

“When these feats are achieved, Nigerians will reflect safety, and that will concomitantly dictate the global perception of Nigerians,” he said.

The PDP spokesperson urged Tinubu to “reduce his administration’s appetite for easy public validation through ephemeral optics and rather concentrate on the hard task of providing sustainable solutions” to the nation’s challenges.