Two opposition parties — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) — have criticised the Federal Government over reports that it has approved a $9 million public relations and lobbying contract in the United States, describing the move as deceptive, wasteful, and insensitive to the country’s current security and economic challenges.
In a press statement titled “$9 Million PR Contract: Defective and Deceptive,” the PDP said it was disturbing and shameful that the Nigerian Government, through Aster Legal, contracted DCI Group in the United States to “assist the Nigerian government in communicating its actions to protect Nigerian Christian communities.” The contract is scheduled to run for six months with an automatic renewal for another six months.
The PDP said it was unacceptable for a government that already has a full Ministry of Information and multiple media aides to outsource its communication to a foreign lobbying firm. The party argued that such a move suggests the President lacks confidence in his own information managers despite the ministry being led by seasoned professionals.
The opposition party posed several questions to the presidency, asking whether the contract was included in the 2025 budget, why it was executed through a private law firm instead of the Federal Ministry of Justice, and what role Nigerian embassies and their information officers are expected to play if such outsourcing continues. It also demanded details of the Key Performance Indicators for the contract.
The PDP maintained that no foreign PR firm can change the global perception of Nigeria if insecurity remains widespread.
“The truth is that Nigerians have not felt this insecure, even during the civil war,” the statement said, stressing that genuine improvement in security, not “deceptive communication,” would improve Nigeria’s image abroad.
The party urged President Tinubu to focus on tackling insecurity and reducing mass killings rather than “seeking easy public validation through ephemeral optics.”
The statement was signed by Comrade Ini Ememobong, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP.
Similarly, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) condemned the $9 million expenditure, describing it as “obscene” and reflective of “misplaced priorities and moral blindness.”
In a statement posted on X, ADC spokesperson Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi said no African government has ever committed such a large sum to a short-term PR engagement, especially at a time when citizens face rising food prices, high fuel costs, and limited access to healthcare.
The ADC argued that outsourcing Nigeria’s image management to foreign lobbyists amounted to an admission of diplomatic failure, especially with several ambassadorial positions still vacant.
According to the party, relying on foreign firms rather than strengthening Nigeria’s diplomatic corps weakens national credibility and reduces foreign policy to “transactional propaganda.”
The ADC urged the Tinubu administration to channel resources toward addressing insecurity, economic hardship, and reinforcing diplomatic institutions instead of running what it described as an “image-repair campaign abroad.”