Tinubu Government Pays Republican Lobbyist $9million To Appease Trump Amid Threats Of Further US Strikes On Nigeria
January 14, 2026 | News
The administration of President Bola Tinubu has approved a controversial $9 million lobbying contract with a Republican-aligned firm in Washington as it seeks to ease tensions with United States President Donald Trump and avert further military and diplomatic actions that could damage Nigeria’s global standing and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 elections.
An investigative report published on Tuesday by The Africa Report revealed that Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, facilitated the engagement of the U.S. lobbying firm, DCI Group, through a Kaduna-based law firm, Aster Legal.
The objective of the contract, according to the report, is to convince the Trump administration and key U.S. lawmakers that Nigeria is taking tangible steps to tackle insecurity—particularly the killings of Christians in the country’s northern region.
Filings with the U.S. Department of Justice cited in the report show that the Tinubu administration has already paid DCI Group an initial $4.5 million on December 12, 2025. The payment covers a six-month retainer, with a second $4.5 million instalment due by July 2026. This brings the total value of the agreement to $9 million, or $750,000 per month, making it one of the most expensive lobbying contracts ever undertaken by an African government.
According to the filings, DCI Group was hired to help the Nigerian government communicate its efforts to protect Christian communities and to sustain U.S. support for Nigeria’s fight against West African jihadist groups and other destabilising forces.
The agreement was signed by Aster Legal’s Managing Director, Oyetunji Olalekan Teslim, and DCI Group’s Managing Partner, Justin Peterson, a prominent Republican strategist and close ally of President Trump. Peterson previously served on Puerto Rico’s fiscal management board during Trump’s first term.
The contract was finalised only weeks after President Trump redesignated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern,” citing what he described as the Nigerian government’s failure to curb widespread and unchecked killings of Christians.
Four days after the lobbying deal was concluded, the United States imposed a partial travel ban on Nigerians, affecting tourist, business, and student visa applicants. The Trump administration cited high visa overstay rates and the absence of what it described as a reliable Nigerian security framework for vetting travellers.
Tensions escalated further on December 25, 2025, when President Trump announced that U.S. forces had carried out an airstrike in Sokoto State, northern Nigeria, targeting suspected insurgent hideouts. He later warned that additional strikes would follow if the Nigerian government failed to stop violence against Christian communities.
In addition to DCI Group, Nigeria has pursued other lobbying efforts in Washington. Justice Department records show that U.S. attorney and former congressional foreign policy official Johanna Blanc received a $5,000 payment to draft a letter to Congressman Chris Smith, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, ahead of a congressional hearing on Nigeria’s deteriorating security situation.
Although the filings listed Blanc as acting on behalf of Nigeria’s Ministry of Finance, she later clarified that the letter was written for Senate President Godswill Akpabio. In the letter, Akpabio invited members of the House subcommittee to visit Nigeria.
“Nigeria would be honoured to host you in Abuja at a mutually convenient date, to continue these discussions and engage stakeholders from across government, civil society organisations, and religious communities,” the letter stated. “Such a visit would further strengthen diplomatic cooperation and provide firsthand insight into ongoing security and interfaith initiatives.”
The multimillion-dollar lobbying deal has sparked strong reactions from analysts and former U.S. officials. Chidi Blyden, a former Pentagon official who served under President Joe Biden and was reportedly involved in aspects of the engagement, said the scale of the contract underscores the Tinubu administration’s urgency in repairing strained relations with the Trump White House.
“Given the ongoing strikes in northern Nigeria to root out terrorist havens, maintaining open lines of communication across multiple sectors between the two governments is crucial,” Blyden said. “It signals that President Bola Tinubu’s administration wants a working relationship with the Trump administration and is taking steps to achieve this through the private sector.”