The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government over reports that it approved a $9 million contract for lobbying services in the United States, describing the move as scandalous, indefensible and a reflection of misplaced priorities.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the opposition party said the Tinubu administration was more concerned with polishing its international image than addressing Nigeria’s worsening insecurity and economic hardship.
The party said the expenditure was particularly troubling at a time when thousands of Nigerians have been killed by insecurity and millions are struggling to afford basic necessities.
“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,” the statement read.
The ADC argued that no African government had ever committed such a huge sum to a short-term public relations effort, insisting that the money would have been better spent on protecting lives and easing the suffering of citizens.
“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,” the party stated.
The opposition party also described the move as an admission of diplomatic failure, noting that several ambassadorial positions remain vacant while the government allegedly resorted to hiring lobbyists.
“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,” the ADC said.
The party dismissed the idea that paid lobbying could change international perceptions about Nigeria’s security situation, insisting that public relations efforts could not conceal the scale of violence and instability in the country.
“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,” the statement added.
The ADC further criticised what it described as the government’s attempt to frame the lobbying effort around “Christian protection,” warning that such an approach could worsen sectarian tensions.
“Equally dangerous is the framing of this 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,” it said.
The party stressed that insecurity affects Nigerians across religious and ethnic lines and should be tackled through effective governance rather than selective messaging abroad.
“The ADC insists that Nigeria does not need propaganda. Nigeria needs leadership,” Abdullahi said.
According to the party, public funds should be channelled towards restoring trust in state institutions and protecting lives, rather than “polishing the image of a government that has failed its most basic responsibility: the protection of lives and property.”