The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration over reports that the federal government approved a $9 million contract for US lobbying services, describing the move as an attempt to launder its image abroad while Nigerians grapple with worsening insecurity and economic hardship.

In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party stated that the expenditure reflects misplaced priorities, especially at a time when thousands of citizens have been killed and millions can barely afford basic necessities, arguing that no amount of paid lobbying can mask the government’s failure to protect lives and property.

The party’s statement read, “The African Democratic Congress, ADC, condemns the Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration for deploying scarce public resources to launder its battered image abroad instead of addressing the deepening security and economic crises at home, as reported in recent disclosures on the federal government’s $9 million lobbying contract in the United States.

“No government in Africa has ever committed such an obscene sum to a short-term public relations exercise. While the ADC recognises the importance of representing Nigeria’s interests internationally, spending $9 million on image management at a time when millions of Nigerians cannot afford food, fuel, or basic healthcare is a clear case of misplaced priorities and moral blindness.

“This decision is also an admission of diplomatic failure. A government that has left key ambassadorial positions vacant now seeks to outsource diplomacy to lobbyists, further weakening Nigeria’s institutional credibility and reducing foreign policy to transactional propaganda.

“More troubling is the illusion that paid lobbying in Washington can erase the reality of mass killings, widespread insecurity, and state failure at home. No amount of image laundering can wash away the blood of thousands of Nigerians killed under this administration’s watch. Lobbying to impress foreign leaders cannot substitute for a coherent strategy to end the bloodbath. A President who declares a state of emergency on security and then proceeds on foreign holidays cannot be rescued by public relations firms.”

The party further said it was dangerous to frame the lobbying effort as a campaign to “communicate Christian protection efforts.

“This risks deepening sectarian tensions and politicising security in a country already strained by religious and ethnic fault lines.

Security failures affect all Nigerians, regardless of faith, and cannot be addressed through selective messaging abroad instead of justice, accountability, and effective governance at home.”

The ADC Insisted that Nigeria does not need propaganda. “Nigeria needs leadership. Resources should be spent protecting lives, restoring trust in state institutions, and rebuilding a country in distress, not polishing the image of a government that has failed its most basic responsibility: the protection of lives and property.” (The Guardian)

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