Senator Ted Cruz of the United States of America, USA, has accused the President Bola Tinubu government of using public relations lobbying to mask killing of Christians in Nigeria.
He expressed disappointment at Nigeria’s engagement of a lobbying firm to communicate its actions on protecting Christians in Nigeria to the US government, saying it was an attempt to deflect American concerns over the country’s security crisis.
This came as former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress APC, Timi Frank, alleged that the Presidency was deceiving Nigerians by presenting a reported letter from United States President Donald Trump as an endorsement of President Tinubu’s administration.
The $9m lobbying firm
Nigeria hired DCI Group, a US-based public affairs and lobbying firm, in a $9 million contract last December, few months after it was designated a ‘country of particular concern’ by President Donald Trump.
According to the lobbying contract document filed with the US Department of Justice, Aster Legal, a law firm in Kaduna State, hired the services of DCI Group on behalf of the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu.
US lawmakers have since introduced several measures, including bills aimed at pressuring the Nigerian government to address the insecurity crisis.
Cruz, who had proposed the ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025’ in October, a legislation he said would hold Nigerian government officials accountable for “facilitating the mass murder of Christians” reiterated his stance in an X post on Wednesday.
“Nigerian officials have created an environment that facilitates mass violence against Christians and religious minorities by imposing blasphemy and Sharia laws and looking the other way at jihadist atrocitiesd.
“The U.S. government knows the Nigerian officials responsible for these policies, I have been pushing my bill to sanction them, and President Trump has even ordered military action.
“Instead of responding to American concerns, Nigerian officials waged a public relations campaign against critics. They were confident in that campaign and in their ability to continue the status quo, and I am heartened that the House has just definitively proven them wrong.”
Cruz was speaking in reaction to an amendment bill passed by the US House of Representatives that would increase withholding of assistance to Nigeria from 50 percent to 100 percent until the West African nation takes effective steps to prevent and respond to violence within its territory.
Lawmakers agreed to the move with a voice vote last Wednesday. The senator is not the only lawmaker who has criticised Nigeria’s lobbying efforts.
The same month, Nigeria hired DCI Group, Matthew Tonlagha, vice-chairman of Tantita Security Services, hired Valcour Global Public Strategy, a Washington-based lobbying firm, for the “purpose of strengthening the bilateral relationship” between the US and Nigeria.
Chris Smith, House Foreign Affairs Africa subcommittee chairman, said the deals proved that “a culture of denial by Nigerian officials persists.”
Tinubu’s govt deceiving Nigerians over Trump’s letter, Timi Frank alleges
According to him, questions surrounding the release of court documents relating to President Tinubu’s alleged past drug-related case remained matters of public interest and should not be overshadowed by attempts to derive political capital from what he described as a routine diplomatic exchange.
Frank, in a statement, in Abuja, yesterday, described the letter as a routine diplomatic correspondence acknowledging security cooperation between Nigeria and the US and challenged the Presidency to publish the document to prove its authenticity.
“The letter is not from the White House. If it doesn’t have the White House seal and the signature of the President of the US, it appears dubious at best,” Frank said, questioning the origins of the document being celebrated by the Federal Government.
“The letter only commended Nigeria for partnering with the US in addressing insecurity. That is the only reason President Trump may have written it. It was not an endorsement of President Tinubu’s leadership, his economic policies or his administration.
“It did not say the Trump administration is backing President Tinubu or supporting him for any election in Nigeria.
“The Presidency is only trying to change the narrative by presenting it as something more than it is,” he said.
Frank, who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua, ULMWP, Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, alleged that the publicity surrounding the reported correspondence was designed to divert public attention from ongoing discussions over the release and circulation of documents relating to President Tinubu’s alleged past drug-related matters.
He pointed out that the letter was reportedly dated July 6, but only came into the public domain much later, arguing that if it truly represented a major political endorsement from President Trump, it would have been publicised immediately rather than surfacing weeks afterward.
Frank recalled that former President Muhammadu Buhari was invited to the White House during Trump’s first term, arguing that such direct engagement carried far greater diplomatic weight than a reported letter.
The former APC spokesman also questioned reports that the Federal Government had spent millions of dollars on lobbyists in the US to improve its international image, arguing that a government enjoying genuine international credibility would have little need for expensive reputation management abroad.
“Ultimately, credibility and integrity cannot be conferred by a letter, a diplomatic exchange or a public relations campaign. They are earned through transparent leadership, accountability, respect for democratic institutions and faithful service to the people,” Frank said.
Credit: Vanguard
