Chuks Okocha in Abuja
At a time that Nigeria is celebrating the letter from President Donald Trump to President Bola Tinubu for its commendable efforts in tackling insecurity, the United States Senator Ted Cruz has accused the federal government of hiring public relations lobbyists to mask the killing of Christians in Nigeria.
Cruz expressed disappointment at Nigeria’s engagement of a lobbying firm to communicate its actions on protecting Christians to the U.S. government, saying it was an attempt to deflect American concerns over the country’s security crisis.
Nigeria hired DCI Group, a U.S.-based public affairs and lobbying firm, in a $9 million contract in December last year. The deal came a few months after President Donald Trump designated Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern’.
According to the lobbying contract document filed with the U.S. 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.
U.S. lawmakers have since introduced several measures, including bills aimed at pressuring the Nigerian government to address the insecurity crisis.
Cruz, who proposed the ‘Nigeria Religious Freedom Accountability Act of 2025’ in October, said the legislation would hold Nigerian government officials accountable for “facilitating the mass murder of Christians”. He reiterated his stance in an X post on Wednesday this week.
“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 atrocities,” Cruz wrote.
“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 reacting to an amendment bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives that would increase the withholding of assistance to Nigeria from 50 per cent to 100 per cent until the country takes effective steps to prevent and respond to violence within its territory. Lawmakers approved the move by voice vote last Wednesday.
Chris Smith, House Foreign Affairs Africa subcommittee chairman, also criticized Nigeria’s lobbying efforts, saying the deals proved that “a culture of denial by Nigerian officials persists.”
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 U.S. and Nigeria.
Reacting to this, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Timi Frank, also alleged that the Presidency was deceiving Nigerians by presenting a reported letter from President Donald Trump as an endorsement of President Tinubu’s administration.
Frank, in a statement in Abuja, described the letter as routine diplomatic correspondence acknowledging security cooperation between Nigeria and the U.S. He 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.
“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.”
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 of documents relating to President Tinubu’s alleged past drug-related case.
He noted that the letter was reportedly dated July 6 but only came into the public domain weeks later, arguing that if it truly represented a major political endorsement, it would have been publicised immediately.
Frank also questioned reports that the Federal Government had spent millions of dollars on lobbyists in the U.S. to improve its international image.
“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,” he said.